TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 6, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More that 13,000 women in Florida will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, a number that is increasing every year. Thousands of them annually will undergo radiation therapy as part of their treatment. The AccuBoost procedure is a new image-guided radiation therapy technique for concentrating the radiation dose to the portion of the breast containing the highest concentration of cancer cells. The AccuBoost has recently been cleared by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for use in women with early stage breast cancer. The Center for Radiation Oncology (CRO) prides itself on providing the best treatment choices for cancer patients in the Tampa metro area. In that spirit, they are the first in the state to receive and use AccuBoost.
AccuBoost is a noninvasive imaging and radiation delivery system that focuses radiation from Iridium-192 sources into the portion of the woman's breast that harbored her tumor. The size and location of the radiation beam is determined by a radiation oncologist using real-time mammography to pinpoint the tissue that needs to be irradiated. Dr. Kathryn Kepes, a board-certified medical oncologist and radiation oncologist at the Center for Radiation Oncology stated that "the AccuBoost design delivers a conformal dose to the target tissue, sparing the remainder of the breast and underlying lung and heart from adverse radiation effects."
Media will be welcomed for a press conference on Tuesday October 7th at 5:20 pm. The first AccuBoost patients, CRO physicians and staff, and an AccuBoost company representative will be available for interview. The treatment process and how it differs from prior care will be demonstrated. Press kits with information about the system and CRO will be available on site or by request via mail.
Dr. Kepes founded the Center for Radiation Oncology, in 1993 and has expanded to provide care in five locations, including Brandon, Plant City, Sun City Center, Tampa and Zephyrhills. Other radiation oncologists at the Center for Radiation Oncology include Drs. Robert Lavey, Nagy Elssayad and Virginia Goytia. Together, they provide: 3D Simulation, External Beam Radiation, IMRT, HDR Brachytherapy (including MammoSite), Prostate Seed Implants, and Interstitial Breast Brachytherapy at the facilities of CRO. Their friendly and knowledgeable staff is always ready to help and answer questions at www.centerforradiation.com or (813) 661-6339.
Please visit www.AccuBoost.com for additional information on the system and visit the News page for links to prior news stories and releases. Breast cancer affects over 240,000 women each year, and is one of the topics of most interest for women and men of all ages.
The AccuBoost(tm) logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3939