Researchers are testing a new radiation therapy that could help breast cancer patients. It's called the AccuBoost System. It delivers radiation only to the portion of the breast where the cancer was removed. Partial breast cancer radiation is not new, but this is different because it uses mammography-like imaging.
Dr. Jaroslaw Hepel said, "With this approach, we actually immobilize the breast by compressing it gently and image the breast for each and every treatment. That's how we're able to see the lumpectomy cavity, and target it very precisely for each treatment."
Radiation is delivered by catheter like wires through this device precisely to the spot. Researchers hope that women will have fewer side effects and better cosmetic outcomes. This non-invasive treatment will someday become the standard of care. But right now, only four hospitals in the country are experimenting with AccuBoost radiation. There's two in New York, and one in Florida and Rhode Island.
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