Located at
Suite 129
Robinwood Medical Center
11110 Medical Campus Rd.
Hagerstown, MD
Contact 1-800-221-1808
301-665-4650
The John R. Marsh Cancer Center now offers MammoSite® radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment. A faster, more convenient, and more comfortable treatment option than traditional radiation therapy, Mammosite® radiation therapy delivers partial breast radiation treatment in up to just 5 days.
With MammoSite® radiation therapy, radiation is delivered from inside the breast. After removing a tumor from the breast, the doctor places a small balloon catheter into the space where the tumor had been. The catheter holds a radioactive seed that delivers radiation directly where cancer would be most likely to recur. Because the radiation dose is limited to these vulnerable tissues within the breast, side effects are minimized.
Best of all, patients do not need to be hospitalized for treatment, so they receive treatment in less time, right here at home.
Treatment with MammoSite® Radiation Therapy System (RTS) is a two-stage process: balloon placement and radiation delivery.
MammoSite® Balloon Placement
After the surgeon removes your tumor, an uninflated MammoSite® balloon is gently placed inside the tumor cavity through a small incision. A portion of the catheter will remain outside of your breast (Figure 1). The MammoSite® balloon can be placed either during your lumpectomy surgery or up to 10 weeks after surgery in a separate procedure.
Once in place, the balloon is inflated with fluid to fit snugly into the tumor cavity. The balloon remains inflated for the entire time you are receiving radiation therapy (Figure 2).
After the MammoSite® balloon is placed, the breast is bandaged and you may go home.
MammoSite® Radiation Therapy
Next you will visit a radiation oncologist - a specialist in treating cancer with radiation - who will take images of the MammoSite® device in your breast and determine the amount of radiation your breast will need to receive. Once your treatment prescription is established you may begin radiation therapy.
During radiation therapy, you will visit the radiation oncology office twice a day. The portion of the MammoSite® RTS catheter remaining outside of your breast will be connected to a computer-controlled machine.
A tiny radioactive source (seed) will then travel from the machine, through the catheter, and into the inflated balloon inside your breast. The source will remain in the balloon for about 10 minutes while it delivers radiation to your breast (Figure 3). Once you have received the prescribed dose of radiation, the source is retracted back into the machine. No radiation remains in your body between treatments or after the final treatment is over.
Usually on the same day as your last radiation session, the MammoSite® RTS balloon will be deflated and easily removed (Figure 4).
Figure 1
After tumor removal surgery, an uninflated Mammosite® balloon is placed inside the tumor resection cavity.
Figure 3
A radioactive source attached to a wire delivers a precise dose of radiation.
Figure 2
Once in place, the balloon is inflated with a saline solution through the applicator.
Figure 4
After radiation treatment, the balloon is deflated and easily removed.
Images and text provided courtesy of Cytyc Corporation and affiliates.
MammoSite® Balloon Placement
