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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.”
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For further information about the Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System, visit
www.xoftinc.com.
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