Intraoperative Radiation Therapy, IORT

Last week at a meeting called ASCO or the American Society of Clinical Oncologists some very important data was presented on radiation therapy for early stage breast cancer.

 

Did you know that you can now have your breast cancer surgery and get your radiation treatment in one dose while you are asleep in the operating room? You can potentially wake up and be completely finished with your breast cancer treatment if you are a suitable candidate. The technology has been around for several years but the very important 10 year clinical trials have just finished and the data is fabulous!

 

A company called Intrabeam by Zeiss has deveolped the delivery system called TARGIT and done the work of getting FDA approval and collecting the patients and the data. Other systems are out there but do not have the data to support them so be careful when choosing a location for your IORT or Intraoperative Radiation Therapy. Zeiss is a 130 year-old company and probably made the microscope you used in high school biology to look at plant and frog parts. They are very conservative and have made sure you will be safe and effectively treated!

 

We are starting a TARGIT program at Pacific Breast Care and will be offering this treatment to eligible patients in the next few weeks. If you have early breast cancer and want to know more, please call us or come in for a visit. I would be thrilled to talk to you about it! 

 

Pacific Breast Care is an Orange County breast care center.  Call us at (949) 515-3544 or contact us online to schedule an appointment.