New Model called AccuBoost....
 

Loved reading about this new break through...and we should all say a prayer of thanks for the courage of Maria Zavala who is the first
woman in the country to undergo this procedure.

OOPs chemo brain...forgot to paste the link...here it is..



http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/77150.php

Jean

That sounds very positive! I have to give this women alot of credit for being the first. It sounds like the *targeting* will be almost an exact which is fantastic. I will certainly keep her in my prayers. Thanks for sharing this Jean.

Chelee

Jean
They are doing a clinical trial on this at Rush in Chicago right now too...they are the first in our area to do this. Just saw it on the news last night!

Question about "trial" at Rush
 

Sheila: I was wondering how you heard about the unit at Rush? I work for AccuBoost and we were not aware of any publicity there. It is not under clinical trial. The system is FDA cleared already so no trial is needed. We have installed 4 so far, the one in TX one in DuPage, one in NY on Long Island and one in Boston. One is going in the end of this month in Scottsdale AZ. We would be happy to answer any questions you all have. www.AccuBoost.com is our site for info. Best regards, Bruce

Sorry
this is different...here is the update.

<TABLE width="95%"><TBODY><TR><TD>Rush University Medical Center First in Midwest to Treat Early Stage Breast Cancer with New Electronic Brachytherapy Treatment System</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2> </TD></TR><TR><TD></TD><TD>Women with early stage breast cancer now have a new treatment option available to help reduce recurrence of the disease using a miniaturized X-ray source that can deliver localized and targeted radiation treatment in virtually any clinical setting under the supervision of a radiation oncologist. Rush is the first medical center in the <?XML:NAMESPACE PREFIX = ST1 /><ST1:PLACE w:st="on">Midwest</ST1:PLACE>, and the second in the country, to treat breast cancer patients using the Xoft system.
With the Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System the cancer treatment is delivered in 10-15 minutes, two times a day, for five days straight. Recent studies have shown that many patients decide not to receive breast sparing surgery with radiation therapy due to time, distance, or difficulty accessing radiation therapy centers.
“This approach provides the potential to reduce the time required for radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer from seven weeks (for external radiation therapy) down to five days. As a result, more patients may decide to receive treatment. This may accelerate patient choice of breast sparing lumpectomy surgery with adjuvant radiation therapy over the alternative of a full mastectomy,” says surgeon Dr. Kambiz Dowlat.
Dowlat says a key component that sets the electronic brachytherapy apart from radiation regimens that involve radioactive isotopes, is that the X-ray source can be turned on and off at will, enabling it to be delivered in virtually any clinical setting rather than in heavily-shielded environments. The result is on-demand X-ray treatments that we expect will result in increased access to critical radiation therapy.
Radiation therapy is used to treat more than one million cancer patients a year. It is administered after breast-sparing surgery with the goal of killing stray cancer cells that might remain in the breast. It is proven to reduce the rate of local recurrences and improve long-term survival.
The Axxent System is designed to deliver therapy directly to cancer sites with minimal radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. It was approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of early stage breast cancer, eliminating the need for heavily shielded environments, and gives radiation oncologists the flexibility to deliver therapy in a broader range of clinical settings.
Data from several randomized controlled clinical studies has demonstrated that radiation therapy is an essential component of treatment for breast cancer when the patient wishes to conserve her breast with lumpectomy surgery as opposed to undergoing a full mastectomy.
“We have incorporated Electronic Brachytherapy into our breast cancer arsenal because we strongly believe that this technology represents a leap forward in cancer treatment,” added Dowlat. “However, as important as the clinical benefits are, the true breakthrough may relate to improved access to a critical therapy that is delivered more easily and conveniently. We hope this encourages women who may have opted for mastectomy or lumpectomy without radiation therapy to explore breast conserving treatment options with their breast surgeon and radiation oncologist.”
For further information about the Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System, visit www.xoftinc.com.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Rush and AccuBoost
 

Thanks for the clarification. Great to see so many new things in the field advancing breast cancer treatment. Press releases acually go out tomorrow about the install and subsequent treatment at the Rush affiliated facility in Winfield, IL. You can see a great clip about AccuBoost on You Tube if you seach for AccuBoost.