Diseases Treated
Breast Cancer
The Breast Cancer Radiation Oncology Treatment Team at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center functions in a multidisciplinary center dedicated to the care of patients with breast cancer. The emphasis is on providing highly coordinated care with colleagues in surgical and medical oncology. The departmental team includes dedicated breast radiation oncologists, therapists and nurses.
Members of the breast group are leaders in the development and appropriate application of new technologies in radiation oncology, including:
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT beam shaping) of the breast that minimizes radiation dose to normal tissue. This can minimize long-term side effects and potentially improve cosmesis.
- Partial breast irradiation with the MammoSite balloon that involves the use of a temporarily implanted balloon into the surgical cavity. Radiation is then delivered with a radioactive pellet, placed in the balloon twice daily for one week. The dose is limited to the site most at risk and the rest of the tissue is largely spared. This also allows the radiation to be given over a shorter time period than that required for conventional whole breast radiation therapy.
- Prone technique, which is a positioning technique during treatment that can help limit radiation to the heart and lungs, and decrease inhomogeneity in the treatment field, minimizing long-term side effects.
The group's participation in national and local cancer trials makes it possible for patients to enroll in trials of novel therapies.
