New radiation technique reduces treatment time
Dionne Kay of San Mateo recently was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer but soon discovered she had an alternative to life- and body-changing mastectomy and longer-term radiation therapy.
“If I didn’t have to go through major surgery and I didn’t have to go through a prolonged period of treatment, then that was what I wanted to do,” Kay said.
“After having the standard six weeks of radiation years ago on my other breast, this procedure is, by far, preferable,” Kay said.
High-dose radiation (HDR) brachytherapy is an option for some women with early-stage breast cancer who are going to have a lumpectomy (removal of a tumor rather than the entire breast). It is a quicker, more focused way to give radiation treatments.
When Kay’s tumor was removed, Mills-Peninsula surgeon Andrea Metkus, M.D., surgically placed a catheter and deflated balloon into the tumor site, which later was inflated to ensure a good fit.
“The catheter and balloon allow us to deliver high-dose radiation directly into the area where the tumor was,” she said. “The catheter and balloon are removed after treatment is complete.”
“Only the area most at risk is treated,” radiation oncologist Steven Kurtzman, M.D., said.
Conventional radiation requires up to seven weeks of daily treatment.
A few days after surgery, Kay began her twice-daily outpatient radiation treatment, which took only five days.
“Her treatment was problem-free and essentially, pain-free for the entire course,” Dr. Kurtzman said. “I was amazed at how well she did.”
Women generally tolerate the treatment well and can maintain their daily routines during the process.
“I have had no side effects,” she said. “I kept waiting for some, but none came. I was amazed. I feel more in control, like I really can beat cancer.”
To date, Mills-Peninsula is the first and only health care facility on the Peninsula to offer this innovative treatment for early stage breast cancer. It soon will also be available for prostate and other kinds of cancer, as well.
For more information, ask your doctor or call the Dorothy E. Schneider Cancer Center at 696-4509.