About SurRad - Breast Cancer Treatment In a Day
SurRad™: Surgery and Radiation Therapy Combined for Breast Cancer Treatment
The Robert A. Gardner, MD Foundation, Inc., in association with The Center for Breast Surgery, fosters a kinder and gentler approach to treating breast cancer through the most advanced treatment options available. We are dedicated to improving your quality of life not only during treatment but for the long term as a cancer survivor.
The Foundation is excited to announce the offering of a world class breast cancer radiation therapy. If you are considering a lumpectomy followed by an extended program of radiation therapy, now you have a superior alternative. Typical radiation therapy involves up to 35 treatments delivered over six or more weeks of daily visits. IntraOperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) delivers the same therapeutic dose in just a single treatment. This breakthrough will help women get back to living their lives sooner with much less distress and disruption.
Derived from a highly successful program developed and tested in Europe, SurRad™ combines the surgery, IORT, and reconstruction all in one session while taking the technology a step further with the most advanced radiation delivery system now available. Not only will this eliminate the countless trips back and forth to the radiation center, SurRad™ preserves more healthy breast tissue, further reduces side effects, and minimizes the chances of recurrence.
The Foundation has also received peer approval to record and publish the results of the IntraOperative Radiation Therapy procedures performed. If you wish to participate in the study, not only will you enjoy the superior benefits SurRad™ has to offer, but you will also contribute to the ongoing research to advance breast cancer treatment for all women. Of course, your name and personal medical records will remain confidential.
Mission Statement
We believe awareness is the first step toward the early detection and possible cure of breast cancer. That is why education and outreach into the community is our main thrust. We encourage women to practice early detection methods, including regularly scheduled mammography, yearly physical exams by a trained medical professional and diligent monthly breast self-examinations.
Because of the ever-changing medical environment, we work to keep women informed of the latest technology of early detection and treatment of breast disease, and to make women aware of the latest findings and statistics relating to breast cancer risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, and cure.
Advantages of SurRad™ and IntraOperative Radiation Therapy
SurRad™ offers many health and quality of life advantages over conventional treatment options as it brings the expertise of several medical disciplines together at one time to collaborate on the appropriate treatment tailored to your individual needs:
Precise and effective. Often referred to as “precision radiotherapy”, IORT delivers a targeted dose of radiation internally to the surrounding tissues immediately following removal of the tumor. This technique provides visual confirmation of the tumor bed not possible with externally applied post-operative radiation therapy.
Low recurrence rate. Because the radiation dose is both precise and delivered immediately after removal of the tumor, it helps destroy any microscopic cancer cells that may have been left behind. Conventional radiation therapy is usually administered after the surgical recovery period providing less accuracy and more time for any residual cancer cells to strengthen and grow.
Shortened treatment times. With a single dose of radiation, IORT patients are out of treatment sooner than conventional radiation treatment that requires six weeks of daily treatments. When an IORT “boost” is the more appropriate option, the post-operative radiation time is still considerably less at 10 to 15 treatments compared to 30 to 35 without boost.
Spares healthy tissues and organs. The precise dose of IORT is applied internally to the tumor bed and not externally to the entire breast as with conventional radiation therapy. The machine used to administer the dose of radiation is an electron-beam linear accelerator. Unlike x-ray based IORT equipment which emit photons, electrons provide a more powerful dose with less scatter to effectively treat just the area of tissue desired. As an added precaution, shield plates are used to protect vital organs and structures close to the tumor bed.
Cosmetics. Patient emerges from surgery with the natural appearance of her breast intact.
Treatment Options
Single Dose. By combining surgery, IntraOperative Radiation Therapy, and reconstruction in one session, SurRad™ gets patients back to their normal daily lives within a few days with virtually no physical trauma. No recovery period between surgery and radiation therapy is required nor does the patient have to endure weeks of radiation exposure.
BIO-Boost. Patients whose diagnosis does require additional radiation therapy following surgery can dramatically reduce the number of post-operative treatments by receiving a “boost”, about half the single dose of IORT during surgery.
Nipple Sparing Mastectomy. Breast cancer patients with a more extensive cancer now have the option to undergo nipple-sparing surgeries when a full mastectomy is necessary. The nipple and areola are treated with IORT and remain fully intact allowing for a more natural appearance of the reconstructed breast.
Breast cancer patients who have elected SurRad™ treatment previously are potential candidates for another treatment. This is a promising option for patients who may experience a recurrence or develop a new tumor in a different part of the breast.
IntraOperative Radiation Therapy through the Foundation
The Robert A. Gardner, MD Foundation, Inc. is one of only a few institutions in the U.S. that will offer IORT, and one of even fewer in the country to use the Mobetron 1000. The Mobetron 1000 is a mobile, self-shielded linear accelerator manufactured here in the U.S. featuring the latest technology in targeted electron-beam radiation therapy and the most powerful yet safe IORT delivery system in the world. Treatment time is only one to two minutes compared to four or five minutes with its nearest electron-beam competitor and up to 30 minutes with machines that utilize traditional x-ray (photon) beams.
Board of Directors and Board of Advisors
Visit www.BreastQuestion.com for more information.