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Attacking Breast Cancer from the Inside

569 views · Published 11 April 2015 · 1:45 · Indexed 10 November 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

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Radiation therapy- it’s a cornerstone of breast cancer treatment. Traditionally done as an outpatient, there’s another way to deliver radiation, called accelerated partial breast radiation. It attacks cancer from the inside. 

“It’s a catheter with a balloon on the end. The balloon goes in the lumpectomy cavity, that void where the tumor came out; this part hangs out of the patient. And the radiation oncologist can load seeds of radiation to different catheters within here and radiate the tissue from inside,” says Dr. David Rock, who is a surgical breast oncologist on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System. 

Delivering radiation in a balloon, this technique is simple and direct. The Mammosite system allows doctors to precisely target radiation and limit exposure to healthy tissue.

“Traditional whole breast radiation is external, so it has to go through the skin to get to the breast tissue and unfortunately the skin gets most of the side effects. This avoids that and focuses the radiation right where you want,” says Dr. Rock. 

The catheter stays in the body for the duration of treatment. The radioactive seeds do not.

“So the patient’s not walking around with radiation in them. It’s only put into the catheter for a short time, about five minutes, and then pulled back out and then the patient goes on their way and goes about their normal activities with this catheter in place,” says Dr. Rock. 

Another bonus - this internal radiation therapy is much quicker than its exterior counterpart. 

“Using a device like this you can give the radiation in five days whereas traditionally you would give the radiation over six weeks,” says Dr. Rock. 

In five days’ time the catheter and balloon come out, giving women the treatment they need without undesirable effects.

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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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