AccuBoost
For image guided breast irradiation
The future of Breast Brachytherapy
AccuBoost is the latest innovation in breast radiation therapy. The primary beneficiaries of the AccuBoost procedure are the breast cancer patients: who receive conformal radiation with better targeting, less toxicity, much less skin reaction, minimum exposure to the heart and lungs and a superior cosmetic result.
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. To minimize the chances of the cancer recurrence, physicians recommend a course of follow-up treatments which always includes radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy.
Radiation therapy is used to effectively “sterilize” any residual cancerous or pre-cancerous microscopic tissue that may exist in the vicinity of the tumor. Radiation therapy is an indispensable part of the BCT procedure. Radiation of the breast tissue can be performed by different techniques.
The established standard-of-care for breast radiotherapy is whole breast irradiation (WBI). This is a procedure that is performed daily for a period of 6-7 weeks after surgery. An important part of the WBI process is the delivery of a higher localized dose, known as the “boost dose”, to the lumpectomy cavity margin – the most likely site for cancer recurrence. The AccuBoost Applicators allow your radiation oncologist to deliver a conformal, uniform radiation filed to the target tissue. At many treatment centers which use these Applicators, they refer to the treatment as “The AccuBoost Procedure” or “Non-Invasive, Image Guided Breast Brachytherapy,” or simply as “AccuBoost.”
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Some potential advantages of AccuBoost for breast cancer include:
- The noninvasive procedure can be performed in an outpatient setting.
- The targeted dose is designed to help contain the radiation treatment to the lumpectomy site as much as possible.
- By delivering a measured dose that matches the size, shape and location of the target site, AccuBoost is designed to limit toxicity and overexposure to the breast.
- Because this form of real-time, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is highly focused, it is more likely to affect less of the surrounding healthy tissues and organs, including the heart, lungs, ribs and muscles, by limiting their unintentional exposure to radiation.
- Providing targeted, measured, therapeutic doses is designed to produce fewer radiation-related side effects.
