A Lakeville, Mass. woman has become the first in the region and the tenth in the country to receive the latest treatment for women with early stage breast cancer. Known as the Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System, the treatment uses a miniaturized X-ray source to deliver localized and targeted radiation treatment to reduce the risk of recurrence of the disease.
Margaret Economos, 62, of Lakeville, had a normal mammogram in January of 2004. She admits she was lax in her vigilance, and waited until May of 2007, for another mammogram, which showed a cyst in her left breast. Her physician made an appointment for the cyst to be aspirated. Following the procedure, Economos had another mammogram to be sure the treatment was successful.
“At that point, we discovered the cyst was masking the tumors, and in July, I received the diagnosis of Stage I breast cancer,” says Economos. She underwent a lumpectomy in August and then, at her physician’s suggestion, she opted for the new Axxent electronic brachytherapy.
Currently, most women with early stage breast cancer who have radiation treatment undergo whole breast radiation. This method, which normally takes seven to eight weeks, allows for some degree of radiation scattering, which can have some side effects such as potential damage to normal cells.
Rhode Island Hospital was among the first of only ten centers across the country to offer the new Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy, which utilizes a miniaturized X-ray source that is inserted into the tumor site. It can be turned on and off as appropriate to deliver localized, targeted radiation treatment and allows medical staff administering the treatment to be in the room with the patient. The FDA-approved treatment offers a much shorter treatment time - only five days - and eliminates the use of radioactive isotopes. The anticipated results are less exposure to radiation and less side effects with better outcomes for patients.
Brigid O’Connor, MD, a radiation oncologist with Rhode Island Hospital, says, “We are so pleased to offer this treatment to women in New England. We know that 80 percent of breast cancer recurrences occur in the same quadrant of the breast. So if we can target the treatment to that same area, we can hopefully prevent a recurrence through a quicker, safer means.”
O’Connor also notes, “An especially appealing factor about this treatment is that unlike traditional radiation therapy, we can be in the room with the patient, which provides a sense of comfort.”
Eonomos says that when it came to a decision between seven to eight weeks of radiation therapy, or choosing the five-day treatment, she knew it was right for her. “I had radiation twice a day for five days. The alternative would be seven to eight weeks of radiation,” comments Eonomos and says, “This was a piece of cake and I had no pain.”
And now that it’s done, she simply says, “It was a blip in my life. I’m talking about this because I want women who are facing early stage breast cancer to know that they have options. I’m so grateful to Dr. O’Connor and the staff at Rhode Island Hospital who provided such wonderful treatment.”
David Wazer, MD, chief of radiation oncology at Rhode Island Hospital says, “As a leader in cancer care, our goal in the treatment of breast cancer is first to cure the patient and secondarily, give patients the best cosmetic outcome that we can. We’ve come to appreciate that sometimes, less treatment is better.”
For more information, call the Rhode Island Hospital Radiation Oncology department at 401-444-8311 or visit the web site at www.rhodeislandhospital.org.
