NSABP MammoSite protocols deliver concentrated radiation to the lumpectomy site.
The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) seeks to reduce recurrence of breast cancer. The NSABP researches breast cancer and strives to make effective treatment available to all women near their homes. Adjuvant therapy is additional radiation therapy directed at the surgical site of the extracted cancerous tumor. According to the NSABP, breast cancer is mostly likely to recur at the base of the extracted tumor. MammoSite radiation was approved by the FDA in 2002.
National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP)
The National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute (NCI) finances the NSABP at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. During the last 50 years, NSABP's breast cancer studies discovered that removal of cancerous lumps plus radiation therapy was effective treatment for breast cancer. A NSABP study of 19,000 women found that the drugs tamoxifen and raloxifene reduce the occurrence of breast cancer. More than 100,000 women and men have enrolled in NSABP clinical cancer research. The NSABP conducts research in medical centers, university hospitals and large oncology practice groups in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia and Ireland. The NSABP offers the latest breast cancer treatment protocols near patients' homes.
MammoSite Accelerated Brachytherapy
The American Society of Breast Surgeons educates, researches and develops advanced techniques in breast surgery. Breast surgeons use brachytherapy as additional radiation depending on the size, shape and location of the extraction site. The American Brachytherapy Society advocates accelerated brachytherapy for women 45 years old or older with infiltrating ductal carcinoma. Brachytherapy is used when all the cancer is successfully removed from the breast, and the incised area is less than 3.0 centimeters in diameter. MammoSite brachytherapy works best on small incisions with one- to two-centimeter margins. Patients with multiple diseases, autoimmune disorders, extensive breast cancer or one to three cancerous nodes will not receive brachytherapy.
Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation
Brachytherapy is placing radioactive material inside or next to a tumor to kill the cancer cells. Brachytherapy involves a high dose of radiation inside a small area of the body for shorter duration than external radiation therapy. Temporary brachytherapy is high- (HDR) or low-dose (LDR) radioactive material in the tumor site for a short period of time. Permanent brachytherapy is implanting seeds or pellets permanently in the tumor site. The radioactive effect dissipates with no adverse effects to the patient.
MammoSite Targeted Radiation Therapy
A balloon catheter is inserted under the skin in the surgical cavity. The dose of radiation is based on the cavity volume and examination of the normal tissues. Laminar breast scans chin and shoulder scans are taken for target radiation nine weeks after the removal of the cancerous tumor. High-dose radiation is delivered twice a day for each of five days. The two radiation sessions must be six hours apart. Low-dose radiation is not used.
Tags: breast cancer, radiation therapy, additional radiation, Adjuvant Breast, Adjuvant Breast Bowel, Bowel Project, Bowel Project NSABP