Early-stage breast cancer patients now have a new one-day breast cancer treatment option at the University of Louisville’s James Graham Brown Cancer Center, a part of KentuckyOne Health. The cancer center is the first in Kentucky to offer this new technology.

Patients who meet specific selection criteria are able to be treated with intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), a one-day breast cancer treatment option that offers multiple patient benefits, including added convenience, fewer treatments and reduced costs.

IORT allows radiation oncologists and breast cancer surgeons to work together to deliver a full, concentrated dose of radiation in one day at the time of lumpectomy, targeting cancer cells and sparing healthy tissue, such as the heart, lungs and ribs. This compares to traditional breast cancer treatment, which involves daily radiation five days per week, for six to eight weeks. With IORT, radiation is delivered from inside the breast rather than externally, as is done during external beam radiation therapy (EBRT).

“As one of America’s finest cancer treatment and research institutions, our goal is not just to fight cancer, but to win,” said Donald Miller, M.D., Ph.D., director of the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. “The more advanced technology and research available to our multidisciplinary care teams, the more tools we have at our disposal to save lives. IORT is an exciting advancement in breast cancer care.”

“Two major studies have shown IORT is effective, but with fewer side effects than traditional radiation, making it a viable treatment option for appropriate patients,” said Anthony Dragan, M.D., radiation oncologist with UofL Physicians and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. “In addition to fewer side effects, IORT can also help improve access to care. Some women, such as those who live in more rural areas, women who are in the workforce and women who are caretakers for their families, find it difficult to finish a course of traditional treatment that requires multiple visits.

“Since IORT requires only one dose of radiation, patients are able to return to their normal life within days rather than weeks, a huge improvement over traditional radiation treatment.”

The technology used is the Xoft^® Axxent^® Electronic Brachytherapy (eBx^®) System^®, which is FDA cleared for the treatment of cancer anywhere in the body, including early-stage breast cancer, gynecological cancers and non-melanoma skin cancer.

The Xoft System uses a proprietary miniaturized x-ray source, which is inserted into a flexible balloon-shaped applicator, then temporarily placed inside the lumpectomy cavity. A full course of radiation is then administered in a single dose, lasting as little as eight minutes, which directly targets cancer cells.

“IORT gives patients with early stage breast cancer an integrated surgical and radiotherapy option, in just one treatment, with the hope for the same outcomes (resulting from treatments currently in use),” said Nicolas Ajkay, M.D., surgical oncologist with UofL Physicians and the James Graham Brown Cancer Center. “Our multidisciplinary team approach leads to constant collaboration among physicians to find the right treatment plan for each patient. IORT furthers our ability to do so in new and exciting ways.”

A growing body of favorable clinical data supports the use of IORT in candidates meeting specific selection criteria. iCAD, the maker of Xoft, is currently conducting one of the largest IORT clinical studies to date using the Xoft System, which compares Xoft IORT to traditional external beam radiation therapy. To date, more than 2,000 patients have been treated with Xoft IORT.

For more information about IORT at the James Graham Brown Cancer Center, visit http://www.kentuckyonehealth.org/IORT or call 502-562-HOPE(4673).