SAN ANTONIO, July 16, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- On Monday, July 16th, 75-year-old Maria Zavala made a bold move in the battle to cure her Stage II breast cancer. Maria was the first woman in the country to undergo a site-specific radiation procedure, called AccuBoost, at San Antonio's Texas Cancer Clinic. The treatment is designed to deliver focused radiation to her lumpectomy cavity.
"This truly is a break-through in the fight against breast cancer," says Texas Cancer Clinic Radiation Oncologist, Dr. Sylvia Zubyk. Zubyk believes Mrs. Zavala is an excellent candidate for this procedure. "This non-invasive, real time image-guided treatment will ensure better targeting of the lumpectomy cavity and makes it possible to see what you treat and treat what you see."
AccuBoost can be delivered either prior to or after the main external beam portion of women's treatment plan. "This new modality could be used as a replacement for the boost phase in the radiation process," says Texas Cancer Clinic's Chief of Medical Physics, Dr. Amir Sadeghi. "The breast is immobilized and imaged in a manner similar to mammography but without excessive pressure. A special applicator is positioned to deliver the radiation with far better accuracy."
"We are pleased to announce the launch and first use of the AccuBoost procedure at Texas Cancer Clinic -- one of the premier radiation therapy institutions in the nation. Under the leadership of Bradley Prestidge, M.D. and his colleagues, Texas Cancer Clinic has earned the reputation of being a pioneer, introducing the latest advances in radiation therapy to save life in the fight against cancer," stated Piran Sioshansi, Ph.D. President and CEO of Advanced Radiation Therapy.
Bruce Taylor, NREMT-P, Vice President, Marketing & Business Development was present for the first treatment. Mr. Taylor said, "We are excited that now this new technology is available to women. Chances are that each of us knows someone who has been touched by breast cancer. Advanced Radiation Therapy is proud that the AccuBoost system is making a contribution to improve the treatment of breast cancer by accurately targeting the dose to the intended site while reducing unintended exposure to neighboring organs. AccuBoost can be used in both the boost phase of Whole Breast Irradiation (WBI) and for Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI). It is the first system to allow High Dose Rate (HDR) treatment of breast cancer in a Non-Invasive way. Prior to AccuBoost, APBI treatment was performed via an invasive technique of employing multiple protruding catheters or with inflatable balloon devices implanted into the breast. "
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