Comprehensive Cancer Treatment Center in Washington

MammoSite® RTS

Today, more and more women with early stage breast cancer are able to treat their disease effectively and preserve their breasts through an option called breast conservation therapy. This treatment includes the removal of the cancerous tumor, which is called a lumpectomy. The lumpectomy is generally followed by 6 weeks of whole breast external beam radiation therapy. This combination of surgery and radiation works well to prevent local recurrence of the tumor. However, some patients find it difficult to complete one and a half months of radiation therapy, especially if the treatment center is located far from their home.

MammoSite RTS provides these patients a safe, viable treatment option that is much more patient-friendly, reducing treatment time to just five consecutive days. MammoSite is a form of brachytherapy (radiation delivered internally vs. externally) that is less complex than other forms of brachytherapy, requires fewer treatment sessions for patients, and exposes the remaining healthy tissue to less radiation. It is also done right after surgery and before any chemotherapy, so it does not interfere with other treatments. A team of Cancer Care Northwest Surgical and Radiation Oncologists has been performing the MammoSite procedure at Deaconess Medical Center since 2004.

The MammoSite device is a balloon catheter that is inserted into the cavity created by the surgical removal of the breast tumor. The balloon is filled with a saline solution and remains inflated throughout the treatment period. During a five-day course of therapy, a tiny radioactive seed attached to a wire is inserted into the balloon, delivering prescribed levels of radiation under precise computer control to the targeted tissue surrounding the cavity. After the last day of treatment, the balloon and catheter are removed. No source of radiation remains in the patient’s body between treatments or after the final procedure.

MammoSite RTS offers many advantages to patients, such as:

Treatment can be completed in five days while external beam therapy can consist of daily treatments for six weeks;
MammoSite places the radiation source inside the lumpectomy cavity (the space left where the tumor is removed). This delivers radiation precisely to the area where the cancer is most likely to recur.
Radiation is delivered from within the lumpectomy cavity, limiting the amount of radiation to distant healthy tissue and reducing the potential for side effects, and
The therapy is given on an outpatient basis. No hospital stay is required.

Current research has shown that brachytherapy treatments for breast cancer result in low rates of breast cancer recurrence. While these initial studies are very promising, more experience over time is needed to substantiate the findings. Since FDA approval in May 2002, thousands of patients worldwide have received MammoSite treatment through more than 120 breast cancer centers.

Dr. Stephanie Moline, Cancer Care Northwest Breast Surgeon, was the first surgeon in Spokane to perform the MammoSite procedure in April of 2004, and it has grown in popularity steadily since that time. Several Cancer Care Northwest physicians in addition to Dr. Moline have taken advanced training in the new procedure, including Maryam Parviz, M.D, Surgical Oncologist/Breast Surgeon, and Radiation Oncologist Wayne Lamoreaux, M.D.

For more information on MammoSite, visit www.mammosite.com .

Meet The MammoSite Team

Breast Surgeons

Stephanie R. Moline, M.D.
Breast Surgeon/Surgical Oncologist

Maryam Parviz, M.D.
Breast Surgeon/Surgical Oncologist

Radiation Oncologists

Wayne T. Lamoreaux, M.D.
Radiation Oncologist

The information provided within this website is not intended as medical advice. It should never be substituted for a consultation with a healthcare professional. Please contact your physician with questions or concerns about your health condition.