MammoSite implants are one of the newest options for the treatment of breast cancer. This minimally invasive method delivers radiation therapy internally, following a lumpectomy, greatly reducing exposure of healthy breast tissue to radiation. Treatment takes only five days to complete, allowing you to get back to your normal life more quickly.

MammoSite works by delivering radiation from inside the lumpectomy cavity (the space that is left after the tumor is removed) directly to the tissue surrounding the cavity where cancer is most likely to recur. A small, soft balloon attached to a thin tube is placed inside the lumpectomy cavity. In order to deliver radiation, a tiny radioactive source, called a seed, is placed within the balloon by a computer-controlled machine.

If our radiation oncologists feel that whole breast external beam radiation is more appropriate for you, MammoSite may be used as boost therapy. Boost therapy combines MammoSite with external beam radiation, to deliver additional radiation directly to the area of the breast where cancer is most likely to recur. In this case, you would receive MammoSite treatment for 1 to 2 days.

During radiation therapy, you will visit our office twice a day for 5 days. The portion of the MammoSite catheter that remains outside of your breast will be connected to a computer-controlled machine for treatment.