Women can now choose to combine surgery and radiation in one breakthrough procedure
|
(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Evergreen Park, Ill. – Of the nearly 200,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the U.S., their decision regarding treatment has been limited to two options: a mastectomy, the surgical removal of one or both breasts, or a lumpectomy, the surgical removal of a lump followed by over a month of radiation therapy. But now, thanks to an amazing new treatment called Axxent® Electronic Brachytherapy or eBx, early-stage breast cancer patients can combine their surgery and radiation into one procedure, eliminating any need for post-surgical radiation.
“The fact that my treatment was done before I even woke up is beyond words,” says Marianne Howley, the first patient to undergo the eBx treatment. “I want more women to know about this. I just can’t believe how lucky I was to have this type of procedure available to me in my community.”
The eBx option began as a small clinical trial at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Ill., under the direction of Dr. Adam Dickler, Radiation Oncologist and Dr. Olga Ivanov, Medical Director for the Little Company of Mary’s Comprehensive Breast Health Center. The cutting-edge eBx treatment, which utilizes IntraOperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) and Xoft Inc.’s eBx System, uses a miniaturized X-ray source to deliver localized and targeted radiation, minimizing exposure to healthy tissue.
“At our one year follow-up, the clinical results of the trial have been excellent. The treating physicians and patients have been very happy,” says Dr. Dickler, who has recently written and sent the protocol for the eBx procedure to six other hospitals throughout the nation including California, Texas, Michigan, New York and Mississippi. To date, one of the six organizations has its IRB approval and the others are in progress.
Little Company of Mary’s Cancer Center is ranked in the top 27 percent of the nation’s cancer programs accredited by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer. The Center offers highly skilled cancer specialists, the latest medical technologies for diagnosis and treatment, participation in clinical trials and a wide spectrum of support services. All cancer services are centered in a 33,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility located on the Hospital campus. The Comprehensive Breast Center offers women multidisciplinary breast health care with a Breast Health Team consisting of surgeons, radiologists, medical oncologists, pathologists, and genetic counselors in one convenient location. For additional information on Little Company of Mary, please visit: Little Company of Mary
Subscribe to our FREE Ezine and receive current Health News, be eligible for discounted products/services and coupons related to your Health. We publish 24/7.
HealthNewsDigest.com
For advertising or promotion, email: [email protected]