Sources
- BC5 infographic and website.
- Watch the video about breast brachytherapy.
- Our posts tagged #BreastCancer and #infographics.
What is breast brachytherapy?
” Accelerated partial breast irradiation, or APBI, is a localized form of radiation therapy (brachytherapy) that involves the insertion of a radioactive “seed’ to kill breast cancer cells that may remain after a lumpectomy. This allows physicians to precisely deliver treatment to the tumor cavity and surrounding tissue.
Accelerated partial breast irradiation is performed about one to four weeks after a lumpectomy. A specialized catheter is inserted into the cavity left behind after removal of the tumor. The device remains in place during the course of brachytherapy treatment, usually 5 days.
Brachytherapy provides many significant benefits as a treatment option for women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer. Brachytherapy spares healthy tissue from unnecessary radiation, reduces treatment time to just 5 days, conserves the breast and yields excellent cosmetic results, and doesn’t cause a delay in other treatments such as chemotherapy. ” BC5Project.