WOMEN’S HEALTH
Dr. Michael Lane
Dr. Chinmay Majmundar
MOST WOMEN who undergo mammography will not need any additional testing or invasive procedures. In approximately 20 percent of women, an abnormality will be found requiring either more imaging and /or biopsy.
What if you receive a positive Mammogram?
If you have a “positive” mammogram the following might be recommended for further evaluation. You may be asked to have a repeat mammography in six months to monitor a suspicious area. The suspicious area might be further examined with additional radiologic tests such as an ultrasound or MRI. Finally, the abnormal area might need a biopsy. An x-ray, ultrasound, or MRI can be used to guide the biopsy needle to its proper location.
What if you receive a positive biopsy?
In 2007, it’s estimated that 75 percent of the 240,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer were eligible for breast conservation therapy (BCT). BCT refers to a surgical treatment in which only a portion of the breast is removed. However, many women aren’t aware that the long-term recurrence and survival rates of BCT are comparable to mastectomy (removal of the whole breast). As a result, more than 40 percent of patients with early stage breast cancer still chose to have a complete mastectomy.
MAMMOSITE® 5-day Targeted Radiation Therapy uses a small, soft balloon attached to a thin catheter (tube). This balloon is placed inside the lumpectomy cavity and a dose of required therapy is delivered by a tiny source of radiation called a ‘seed.’
Once the breast cancer has been removed with BCT, there is always a chance that the cancer may recur, and radiation therapy is often recommended to decrease the likelihood of such local recurrence. However, the travel expenses and time commitment of conventional daily radiation treatments for five to seven weeks is a burden on many women, especially for those that have to travel considerable distance for treatment.
A New Option
MammoSite® 5-Day Targeted Radiation Therapy is an alternative to conventional whole-breast external beam radiation for patients undergoing BCT. Part of a growing trend in early breast cancer treatment called partial breast irradiation (PBI), MammoSite makes it easier for more women to consider breast conservation therapy and reduces the treatment time and side effects of radiation therapy. Patients are able to get back to their normal lives sooner, and resume the things they love and need to do, such as working, caring for their families, staying active and traveling.
MammoSite, the most widely used form of PBI, allows patients with early-stage breast cancer who are candidates for a lumpectomy to receive a full course of targeted radiation in just five days, rather than five to seven weeks of traditional whole-breast radiation. In addition to its short treatment time, the MammoSite treatment targets radiation to the area where tumors are most likely to recur, while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue. MammoSite was cleared by the FDA in May 2002 and more than 38,000 patients have received the treatment. Some physicians believe up to 100,000 women a year could benefit from MammoSite.
Clinical Data Backs MammoSite
The first five-year data from a clinical study on the use of MammoSite Trageted Radiation Therapy showed there were no local recurrences of cancer in the patients who completed follow up. Additionally, recent data from The American Society of Breast Surgeons MammoSite Registry – the world’s largest database on experience with MammoSite therapy with 1440 patients treated – showed that after an average of 30.1 months, the rate of local or regional recurrence with MammoSite therapy was only 1.0 percent and good and/or excellent cosmetic results were reported in 94 percent of patients after 24 months.
A Community of Survivors
When faced with a breast cancer diagnosis, women need to know all the options available so they can make the best choice. Breast Conservation Therapy and Partial Breast Radiation with MammoSite are now a part of those choices. For more information about MammoSite, Voices of MammoSite (www.VoicesOfMammoSite.com) is an online resource for newly diagnosed patients to obtain more information about treatment options. Voices of MammoSite also enables patients to connect with breast cancer survivors to learn about their breast cancer experience and treatment with MammoSite Targeted Radiation Therapy.
Chinmay S. Majmundar, M.D., F.A.C.S, and Michael F. Lane, M.D., F.A.C.S, are both Board Certified General Surgeons. They are members of the medical staff at Wuesthoff Health System in Rockledge, Cape Canaveral Hospital and the Merritt Island Surgical Center. For more information, call 321-504-1000 or visit their website at www.thesurgicalgroup.org
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