Home > Media Relations > Mercy News Archive

Media Relations: Mercy News Archive

The SAVI applicator delivers a form of radiation therapy known as breast brachytherapy which targets the tumor site from inside the breast

Mercy Medical Center First "Center of Excellence" for SAVI Advanced Breast Cancer Treatment in State of Maryland

SAVI Device Makes Short-Term Therapy Available to More Women

Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, MD (www.mdmercy.com) has been named Center of Excellence in accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) for use of the SAVI® applicator, an advanced therapy for breast cancer as an option for breast conservation surgery. The SAVI applicator can provide important advantages for select women with early-stage breast cancer.

The Center of Excellence designation recognizes these facilities' dedication to education, training and experience in APBI. To qualify, physicians, medical physicists and clinical staff were required to complete a comprehensive training and education program to demonstrate proficiency in delivering radiation therapy with SAVI. The facilities have also expressed a commitment to patient education, advocacy and awareness of advanced breast cancer treatments.

"Cianna Medical is proud to acknowledge the contributions Mercy surgeons and radiation oncologists are making to the APBI field," said Jill Anderson, President and CEO of Cianna Medical.

The commitment of these centers and physicians to offer the SAVI applicator extends the benefits of breast conservation therapy to a larger group of women and results in improved clinical outcomes.

Breast conservation therapy includes lumpectomy- the surgical removal of the cancerous tissue within the breast plus tissue immediately around the tumor - followed by radiation. This approach is an alternative to mastectomy, which removes the entire breast and is often followed by breast reconstruction.

The SAVI applicator delivers a form of radiation therapy known as breast brachytherapy. This approach, which targets the tumor site from inside the breast, is becoming a more widely used alternative to traditional radiation.

Breast brachytherapy typically involves two treatments per day for only five days. This shorter timeframe makes brachytherapy far more convenient than traditional, external-beam radiation. The latter is delivered five times a week and takes six or seven weeks.

According to Mercy’s Dr. Marlana Ottinger, Associate Director of Radiation Oncology, the SAVI is particularly effective in cases where the tumor is close to the skin or an irregular shape. The device is inserted into the breast under computer control, and a radioactive seed goes into each catheter customized to the patient.

"We can manipulate the images to plan exactly how to load each of those catheters with radioactive sources," Dr. Ottinger said.

Radiation treatment after a lumpectomy has traditionally involved irradiation of the entire breast with an external beam. Besides the inconvenience of the six-week-long regimen, many women must travel some distance to receive external-beam radiation. That can put additional stress on their families, jobs, and financial resources.

“In addition to shortening the therapy time, breast brachytherapy with SAVI minimizes radiation exposure of healthy tissue, which reduces damage to critical structures such as the skin, heart, lungs and ribs,” Dr. Ottinger said.