New breast cancer treatment offers another option for sufferers

Traditionally, the diagnosis of early breast cancer was followed by treatment involving a lumpectomy (removal of tumor) followed by a six-week course of radiation treatment. A decision to avoid radiation would mean having a mastectomy (removal of the whole breast). However, there is now a new treatment available which involves using a saline-filled balloon to direct radiation to the site of the lumpectomy instead of the normal radiation treatment which involves exposure to whole breast, surrounding ribs, lungs and heart. The new therapy is called the MammoSite system and only requires five days of treatment following a lumpectomy. The treatment is only suitable for very small tumors which have not spread at all. Although, no long term studies have been done on the system yet, the makers are confident that it is safe. The main side effects include redness, bruising and breast pain which are all symptoms often associated with breast surgery or radiation therapy as well.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Fort Wayne

Related Disease Topics:

• Breast cancer
• Cancer
• Redness
• Bruising
• Breast pain

Article Source Details

About: New breast cancer treatment offers another option for sufferers

Date: 4 January 2005

Source: Fort Wayne

Author: Jennifer L. Boen

URL: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/10563187.htm

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Surgery
• Surgery and breast cancer
• Surgery and cancer
• Surgery and radiation
• Surgery and chemotherapy
• Surgery and mastectomy
• Surgery and lumpectomy
• Side effect
• Side effect and redness
• Side effect and bruising
• Side effect and breast pain

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