BOCA RATON, Fla., Sept. 23, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn Cancer Institute, one of Florida's largest cancer programs, recently installed the first AccuBoost breast cancer radiotherapy system in South Florida. The system is located at the Harvey & Phyllis Sandler Pavilion, home of the Lynn Cancer Institute.
The Lynn Cancer Institute acquired the technology as a result of an analysis done by Rashmi Benda, MD, a radiation oncologist on staff at Boca Raton Community Hospital, on the potential impact the AccuBoost technology could offer to patients. In 2002, Dr. Benda wrote a paper entitled Breast Boost: Are We Missing The Target? that was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. That paper was part of the inspiration that led to the development of the AccuBoost system.
Women with early stage breast cancer increasingly choose breast conservation therapy (BCT). In the BCT option, the cancerous tumor is surgically removed in a procedure known as lumpectomy. Following a lumpectomy, most women undergo whole breast irradiation (WBI), which includes a very important "boost" phase. The boost dose is an important component of the full course of radiation therapy and is delivered to the tissue adjacent to the surgical excision site, a region from which most recurrences originate. The added boost dose to the surgical margin has been shown to provide additional protection against recurrence.
AccuBoost is designed to target and deliver the all-important boost dose accurately and reliably. The AccuBoost system is an image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) technique that uses non invasive high-dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy to deliver a focused dose to the lumpectomy site. By virtue of directly and precisely targeting the treatment area, patients who have used the AccuBoost system have less reddening of the skin.
"With AccuBoost, the patient's breast is immobilized and then imaged in real time to locate the lumpectomy cavity and determine the size and position of the applicator to be used for delivering the radiation," says Dr. Benda. "The AccuBoost dose delivered in this process is uniform, homogeneous and is accurately targeted to the breast tissue which, if left untreated, is the most likely site for cancer recurrence."
"We are very proud of Dr. Benda for bringing this state-of-the-art technology to our patients," said Phillip Smith, MD, medical director of the Lynn Cancer Institute. "Our program treats more breast cancer patients than any other in South Florida, so it is only natural that we make it our priority to offer the most advanced equipment for breast cancer treatment available to our community."
The Lynn Cancer Institute treats more than 3,000 patients per year and offers three convenient locations in Boca Raton, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. The Institute has received Three Year Accreditation with Commendation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. For additional information, please call 561.955.LYNN (5966).
About Boca Raton Community Hospital:
Serving the community since 1967, Boca Raton Community Hospital (brch.com) has 400 beds and more than 700 primary and specialty physicians on staff. Areas of expertise include cancer, cardiovascular disease and surgery, minimally invasive surgery, orthopedics and women's health, all of which offer state-of-the-art diagnostic and imaging capabilities.
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