Radiation Oncology at Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System

Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy is a state-of-the-art cancer treatment method that delivers a higher concentration of radiation doses directly to cancer cells with a more precise targeting mechanism than is possible with conventional radiotherapy. 

Benefits of IMRT

• Due to precise targeting, this therapy spares more of your surrounding normal tissues. 
• IMRT uses computer-generated images to plan and then deliver tightly-focused radiation beams to cancerous tumors. 
• Clinicians use it to “paint” the tumor with an exquisitely precise radiation beam that conforms as closely as possible to the shape of the tumor.
• IMRT can be used to treat tumors that might have been considered untreatable in the past due to close proximity of vital organs and structures. For example, in the case of head and neck tumors, IMRT allows radiation to be delivered in a way that minimizes exposure to the spinal cord, optic nerves, salivary glands, or other important structures. In the case of prostate cancer, exposure to the nearby bladder or rectum can be minimized.

HDR Brachytherapy is a form of internal radiation therapy that places the source of the high-energy X-rays as close as possible to the cancer cells so that fewer normal cells are exposed to radiation. Instead of using a linear accelerator, the radioactive material is placed directly into the affected area. HDR Brachytherapy often is used for cancers of the breast, uterus, cervix, and lungs.

With remote HDR Brachytherapy, a very powerful radioactive source travels by remote control through tubes, or catheters, to the tumor location. The radioactivity remains at the tumor for only a few minutes. This procedure is done by the highly skilled radiation oncology team, who will watch you on a closed-circuit television. They can also talk to you through an intercom if needed. In some cases, several remote treatments may be required. Sometimes, the catheter stays in place between treatments and sometimes it is removed, depending on your condition.

Benefits of HDR

• By using HDR Brachytherapy, the doctor can give a higher total dose of radiation in a shorter time than is possible with external treatment. 
• HDR Brachytherapy allows a person to be treated within a few minutes in inpatient or outpatient clinics.
• High-dose-rate treatments are short (usually a few minutes) and result in less discomfort than other types of radiation therapy. 
• Because radioactive materials are not left in your body, you can return home soon after you recover.

Background

Breast conservation therapy (BCT) allows more and more women with early-stage breast cancer the ability to effectively treat their breast cancer and still preserve their breasts. BCT begins with a lumpectomy, the surgical removal of the cancerous tumor. The lumpectomy is generally followed by seven weeks of External Beam Radiation Therapy, during which radiation is directed at the whole breast. 

This combination of surgery and radiation works well to treat breast cancer. However, some women aren’t comfortable with the idea of radiation going through healthy breast tissue in order to treat the affected area.

One treatment option for patients undergoing breast conservation therapy is partial breast irradiation. The most widely practiced method of partial breast irradiation is breast brachytherapy. 

MammoSite Breast Brachytherapy

MammoSite is one delivery method of breast brachytherapy.

MammoSite is a small, soft balloon attached to a thin catheter (tube) that fits inside the lumpectomy cavity (the space left after the tumor is removed). A tiny radioactive source (seed) is placed within the balloon by a computer-controlled machine.

Benefits of MammoSite

Brachytherapy treats the breast using a radiation source that is placed inside the body. This has important advantages:

• Radiation is delivered from inside the breast directly to the area where cancer is most likely to recur. (With MammoSite, the radiation source is inside the balloon).
• This limits the amount of radiation to healthy tissue, thereby reducing the potential for side effects.
• When used as a primary therapy — the only form of radiation following a lumpectomy — you would receive treatments twice a day for five days, making for a short treatment length.