MammoSite

Brachytherapy is a more inclusive name for radiation that is delivered at a 'short distance' (the name 'brachy' means arm's length). Brachytherapy techniques include the Mammosite balloon technique. Mammosite is a balloon with a single catheter running down the middle. http://www.mammosite.com/ A small radiation seed (about the size of a grain of rice) is then run down the catheter and stops at various positions along the way to deliver the prescribed radiation dose. Other brachytherapy techniques include using multiple catheters that pierce the skin (interstial brachytherapy - used rarely now but was the original technique pioneered by Robert Kuske, MD) and single entry/multiple catheter devices (SAVI, Mammosite Multi-Lumen, and Contura). The radiation seed goes down each catheter (just as in the single catheter Mammosite) for a set time to deliver the prescribed dose.

I feel very comfortable offering properly selected patients - accelerated partial breast irradiation (5 days instead of 6-7 weeks) usually with one of the single entry/multicatheter devices. Brachytherapy is a more inclusive name for radiation that is delivered at a 'short distance' (the name 'brachy' means arm's length). Brachytherapy techniques include the Mammosite balloon technique. Mammosite is a balloon with a single catheter running down the middle. http://www.mammosite.com/ A small radiation seed (about the size of a grain of rice) is then run down the catheter and stops at various positions along the way to deliver the prescribed radiation dose. Other brachytherapy techniques include using multiple catheters that pierce the skin (interstial brachytherapy - used rarely now but was the original technique pioneered by Robert Kuske, MD) and single entry/multiple catheter devices (SAVI, Mammosite Multi-Lumen, and Contura). The radiation seed goes down each catheter (just as in the single catheter Mammosite) for a set time to deliver the prescribed dose.

I feel very comfortable offering properly selected patients - accelerated partial breast irradiation (5 days instead of 6-7 weeks) usually with one of the single entry/multicatheter devices.

Hi Jody:
Thanks for asking. Before I touch on the differences, let's discuss what they have in common:
* they are treatment devices used to give focused radiation after lumpectomy;
* both are balloons with catheters inflated inside the surgical site that bend to varying degrees;

The radiation technique is called intracavitary brachytherapy (inside the cavity, 'close' treatment) for both devices.

There are some technical differences. MammoSite originally had only a single channel for radition inside the catheter so it couldn't 'shape' the radiation as easily as Contura, which has multiple channels. However, that means that to accomodate multiple channels the catheter is thicker, and so is the hole in the skin present during the treatments. MammoSite has come out with a competing multi-channel product, and there are others as well. There have been no randomized trials comparing the benefits of one vs the other to suggest meaningful differences.

Who benefits? Women who are considered candidates for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Currently this technique seems to be favored over external radiation or another kind of brachytherapy. To understand APBI you can look at my prior answer. http://bit.ly/mZ2Fdg Hi Jody:
Thanks for asking. Before I touch on the differences, let's discuss what they have in common:
* they are treatment devices used to give focused radiation after lumpectomy;
* both are balloons with catheters inflated inside the surgical site that bend to varying degrees;

The radiation technique is called intracavitary brachytherapy (inside the cavity, 'close' treatment) for both devices.

There are some technical differences. MammoSite originally had only a single channel for radition inside the catheter so it couldn't 'shape' the radiation as easily as Contura, which has multiple channels. However, that means that to accomodate multiple channels the catheter is thicker, and so is the hole in the skin present during the treatments. MammoSite has come out with a competing multi-channel product, and there are others as well. There have been no randomized trials comparing the benefits of one vs the other to suggest meaningful differences.

Who benefits? Women who are considered candidates for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Currently this technique seems to be favored over external radiation or another kind of brachytherapy. To understand APBI you can look at my prior answer. http://bit.ly/mZ2Fdg