Latest Treatment Advances for Cancer
Lexington Medical Center has several new weapons available in its efforts to help fight cancer.
Zevalin - Recently approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration, Zevalin is the first radioimmunotherapy drug cleared for use in the United States for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Zevalin has been described as a
"smart bomb" that seeks out the cancerous cells and zeros in on them to destroy them without harming healthy cells around those that are cancerous. The therapy works by adding radiation to antibodies that search for a certain protein found on lymphoma cells. Those antibodies then attach to the cancerous cells, delivering the radiation.
http://www.zevalin.com
MammoSite
- This new type of radiation therapy is used in the treatment of breast cancer. Following a lumpectomy, a balloon catheter is inserted into the cavity created. A radioactive seed is then inserted through the balloon. This therapy allows for delivery of a prescribed dose of radiation to the area where tumors are most likely to reoccur. The method minimizes the exposure of healthy tissue to the radiation. MammoSite, like external irradiation, provides an alternative to women in considering a lumpectomy rather than complete removal of the breast through mastectomy.
http://www.proximatherapeutics.com/mamm/index.htm
GliaSite
- Similar to MammoSite, this therapy also uses a balloon catheter to deliver radiation treatment for brain tumors. Following surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, the catheter is placed in the cavity; the radiation is delivered to the area where reoccurrence of the tumor is most likely to occur. Because the radiation dose decreases quickly beyond the delivery point, healthy tissue is more protected than with other types of treatments.
http://www.proximatherapeutics.com/glia/index.htm
Your radiation oncologist can discuss any of these treatment options with you to determine if one of these methods is appropriate for your course of treatment. |
