About MammoSite

Video Transcript: When we look at understanding the partial breast radiation, we have to understand the migration of the technique. It has been designed to deliver the same kind of treatment, but the initial experience goes back to the Ashner clinic and William Beaumont where it was interstitial catheters placed. These were placed in the target organ and was defined and the delivery occurred. The difficulty with that technique is that there can be a steep learning curve and the dosimetry or distribution of the radiation is a bit more difficult because it’s basically either a freehand technique or you could use Dr. Kuske’s template but still the catheters may splay. With the FDA approval of the MammoSite catheter, this was devised to do the same thing--deliver the treatment volume at risk with a brachytherapy technique. The benefit of a MammoSite catheter is that the learning curve is less. The reproducibility is more when you look at the volume treatment. So it is an easier technique.

Video Transcript: Local recurrence is going to be within the region of the original tumor bed. Studies are available that have demonstrated that the maximum migration of tumor cells beyond the surgical margin is within one centimeter. When you look at the dose distribution from the MammoSite delivery system, it adequately encompasses that region in the 100% dose distribution, therefore, being able to sterilize the target area of greatest risk for recurrence.