Aug. 15, 2007

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Coborn Cancer Center offers five-day internal radiation therapy system for breast cancer

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Coborn Cancer Center is the first in the area to offer patients with breast cancer the MammoSite 5-Day Targeted Radiation Therapy. MammoSite, used to treat more than 32,000 women to date, internally delivers radiation directly to the tissue surrounding the original tumor, where recurrence is most likely, minimizing radiation exposure to healthy tissue and reduces the length of treatment from five to seven weeks to one to five days. In a clinical study involving 43 women, no recurrences of cancer were experienced five years after treatment with MammoSite.

“Coborn Cancer Center is excited to offer this internal treatment option to women with breast cancer who are confronting difficult choices regarding their care at a very stressful time,” said Barbi Kaplan-Frenkel, D.O., medical director of Radiation Oncology, CentraCare Clinic - Health Plaza. “The fact that MammoSite is minimally-invasive for patients, coupled with the short treatment time, could make it easier for more women to consider the choice of lumpectomy. Studies have shown 50 percent of women with early-stage breast cancer will opt for a mastectomy. MammoSite represents the next generation of internal radiation therapy, providing doctors and patients with a site-specific treatment option that can be completed in five days.”

Cleared by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2002, MammoSite is a balloon catheter that is inserted into the cavity created by a lumpectomy (the surgical removal of a breast tumor). MammoSite delivers radiation from inside the lumpectomy cavity over a course of five days. The device targets radiation to the area where tumors are most likely to recur, while minimizing exposure to healthy tissue. For women who are juggling their career and family or who may live far away from a radiation center, MammoSite provides a more convenient option, allowing patients to complete radiation therapy (a critical element of breast cancer treatment) in just a week and get back to their busy lifestyles with minimal to no side effects.

In addition to zero recurrences, the clinical study found:
• 82 percent of patients had good/excellent cosmetic results
• 100 percent of patients would recommend MammoSite to a friend or family member
• 100 percent of patients said they would use MammoSite therapy again if necessary

Learn more about Coborn Cancer Center

Learn more about MammoSite at www.VoicesOfMammoSite.com

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