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 January 10 , 2005—Knoxville, TN George Webber, M.D. has dedicated the past six years of his medical career to treating breast cancer and diseases of the breast. He is the only surgeon in East Tennessee certified to position the MammoSite catheter--giving women the choice of reducing radiation therapy for their breast cancer from seven weeks to five days. Today, women can choose breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) over mastectomy. And now, women can choose to have partial breast radiation, irradiating the area within the breast with the greatest risk of recurrence rather than receiving whole breast radiation. Before partial breast radiation, women undergoing radiation therapy had to endure seven weeks of radiation to the whole breast. Dr. Webber, a leader in breast procedures, is now able to provide women with active lifestyles or women who live a far distance from a radiation therapy facility the option to complete radiation therapy more quickly.
Statistics show if a breast cancer recurs, it is usually at or near the original tumor site. Partial radiation therapy delivers radiation to tissue where the breast cancer is most likely to recur. This medically proven revolutionary therapy minimizes radiation exposure to the healthy breast tissue, while irradiating the lumpectomy site and the surrounding area—where recurrence is greatest. Patients consult with a radiation oncologist who is certified to deliver radiation via the MammoSite catheter to determine if they qualify for this new treatment. To achieve partial radiation therapy, a catheter with an inflatable soft balloon is inserted by Dr. Webber and inflated to fill the cavity of the lumpectomy. To deliver treatment, the catheter is connected to a computer-controlled High Dose Rate Afterloader or HDR machine and is programmed to deliver a radioactive seed attached to a wire, which is inserted into the balloon. Radiation therapy is then delivered for eight to ten minutes to the cancer cavity and the immediate surrounding area twice a day for five days. At the end of each treatment, the seed is then retracted from the balloon and into the HDR machine. MammoSite is disconnected, and the patient can return to her activities. MammoSite allows women to maintain their lifestyle with less interruption. This revolutionary partial radiation therapy is cost effective, convenient, safe, and proven to be effective.
Dr. Webber, Knoxville’s only dedicated breast surgeon, consults with patients at the Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center, and places the MammoSite catheter in the operating room of either Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee or Baptist Hospital West. Joseph Meyer, M.D. or John M. Anderson, M.D. are the only Radiation Oncologists in this area delivering partial breast radiation via MammoSite. They are on staff at the Knoxville Comprehensive Breast Center and Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee, where the radiation therapy is delivered. This new radiation therapy will soon be available at Baptist Hospital West.
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