July 18, 2007 - Seventy-five-year-old Maria Zavala is the first woman in the U.S. to undergo a site-specific radiation procedure, called AccuBoost, to treat her Stage II breast cancer. Performed at San Antonio's Texas Cancer Clinic, the treatment is designed to deliver focused radiation to her lumpectomy cavity.
"This truly is a break-through in the fight against breast cancer,"said Texas Cancer Clinic Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Sylvia Zubyk. "This noninvasive, real time image-guided treatment will ensure better targeting of the lumpectomy cavity and makes it possible to see what you treat and treat what you see."
Delivered either prior to or after the main external beam portion of a woman's treatment plan, AccuBoost "could be used as a replacement for the boost phase in the radiation process," said Texas Cancer Clinic's Chief of Medical Physics, Dr. Amir Sadeghi. "The breast is immobilized and imaged in a manner similar to mammography but without excessive pressure. A special applicator is positioned to deliver the radiation with far better accuracy."
According to the manufacturer, Advanced Radiation Therapy, AccuBoost can be used in both the boost phase of Whole Breast Irradiation (WBI) and for Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI). It is the first system to allow noninvasive High Dose Rate (HDR) treatment of breast cancer.
For more information: www.accuboost.com