Brachytherapy is a new and very exciting treatment option in breast cancer care. After removal of a cancer with surgery, the remaining breast always requires radiation therapy. The customary standard has been to radiate every day, 5 days a week, for 6-7 weeks. Brachytherapy (also called accelerated partial breast irradiation, or APBI) reduces this time to just 5 days.



In contrast to traditional radiation, which sends beams from outside the body toward the breast, APBI places the radiation source inside the breast directly where the cancer used to be. This allows precisely targeted treatment to the highest risk tissue, while limiting exposure of the surrounding healthy breast. Outcomes have demonstrated a cancer cure rate identical to traditional radiation while significantly improving our patient's cosmetic outcome.



The shortened treatment time is not only convenient, it also leads to less stress and anxiety, allowing you to quickly transition into the next phase of your recovery. Insertion of the radiation device is completed by one of our board certified surgeons and is performed in the outpatient surgery center of the the Pink Lotus Breast Center. Patients are able to return home immediately after the procedure.