New breast cancer treatment available at Dallas hospital

by PegNews wire

Texas Oncology–Medical City Dallas has become the first cancer center in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and only the second site in Texas to offer patients treatment with AccuBoost, a new radiation therapy specifically designed to improve breast cancer treatment.

Many women with early stage breast cancer choose to have the cancer surgically removed and then receive follow-up treatments, which include radiation therapy, with or without chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy, to reduce the risk of reoccurrence.

Radiation therapy eliminates any residual cancerous tissue that may exist in the vicinity of the tumor. One common type of radiation therapy patients receive is whole breast irradiation.

For more than 30 years, whole breast irradiation has had an excellent track record. The procedure includes a “boost” phase, which is a higher, localized dose targeting the area where the cancer was removed. The non-invasive AccuBoost system scientifically enhances our ability to target the boost dose to increase accuracy and confidence.

“We’re very excited about being the first in Dallas-Fort Worth to offer AccuBoost,” said Dr. Louis Munoz, radiation oncologist at Texas Oncology. “This highly accurate out-patient procedure helps spare healthy tissue while focusing on the intended target. It’s a tremendous tool for treating our patients.”

Using real-time image guidance, AccuBoost – which is only offered currently at 15 cancer centers across the United States – precisely targets the boost dose, eliminating the variability radiation oncologists face for similar treatments and making the boost radiation more precise and accurate for each treatment. The accuracy of the procedure allows minimal exposure to surrounding healthy tissue which is known to lead to better cosmetic outcomes.

Patients are seeing a difference.

“This system really helps reduce side effects,” said Alice Coder, a patient at Texas Oncology–Medical City Dallas. “And it gives me comfort to know that there is minimal exposure to my healthy tissue.”

AccuBoost is designed to reduce side effects common to invasive methods by minimizing that amount of tissue which receives treatment and eliminating the invasive access of the breast. By sharing the same platform for imaging and treatment delivery, the AccuBoost system targets the dose precisely to where it needs to go.

“As a non-invasive procedure, AccuBoost eliminates the infection, scarring and drainage issues associated with invasive approaches,” said Bruce Taylor, VP Marketing and Business Development at AccuBoost. “We’re proud of the ability of this real-time image guided radiation therapy to provide a simple and accurate method for boost dose targeting.”

For more information about Texas Oncology, go to www.TexasOncology.com or call 1-888-864-I CAN (4226). To see further details on AccuBoost, visit www.AccuBoost.com.

Source: Texas Oncology