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HDR Brachytherapy - SAVI Breast Brachytherapy

HDR Brachytherapy and SAVI Breast Brachytherapy

HDR Brachytherapy

The Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center offers High-Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy as a treatment option for patients with breast cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer and sarcoma. This advanced technique allows high dose radiation to be administered internally within a cavity or tissue in the body, as opposed to treatment with an external beam. A radioactive seed is placed in or near the tumor, allowing the radiation to be delivered in a very precise, three dimensional manner while reducing the radiation exposure in the surrounding healthy tissues. Total treatment times are shorter and side effects are minimal.

SAVI Breast Brachytherapy

The Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center is pleased to offer SAVI, an advanced brachytherapy treatment for certain breast cancer patients following the removal of a tumor through lumpectomy. This treatment option can provide important breast conservation advantages for women with early-stage breast cancer.

The cavity left by a lumpectomy is an area where cancer cells may remain and where cancer is most likely to recur. Therefore, completing radiation therapy following a lumpectomy is a crucial step in a patient’s fight against breast cancer.

SAVI is a breast brachytherapy device that has the unique ability to conform to the exact size and shape of each patient’s lumpectomy cavity — precisely controlling the radiation dose to the former site of the tumor. While similar to the more commonly used balloon catheter devices, SAVI offers significantly more precision and allows the radiation oncologist to customize the treatment plan, treating the tissue most at risk for cancer recurrence and minimizing exposure to the healthy breast tissue.

Due to the precise nature of the treatment, SAVI brachytherapy takes only five days, a significantly shorter amount of time than conventional treatment. Twice a day for these five days, the SAVI catheters are connected to a computer-controlled device that painlessly directs the radiation seed to its correct location. Each session takes between 5 – 10 minutes, and the after each treatment session the radioactive seed is completely removed from the body. Upon completion of the five day course of treatment, the SAVI device is removed from the body.

A woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer should discuss her treatment options with her doctor, to determine which course of action will be most effective based on her particular case.