Miss. hospital offers single-dose radiation therapy for breast cancer patients

FLOWOOD, Miss. (WLBT) - Merit Health Woman’s Hospital in Flowood is offering a new treatment of single-dose radiation therapy for qualifying early-stage breast cancer patients.

It is the first hospital in the state to offer Targeted Intraoperative Radiotherapy, also known as TARGIT-IORT.

According to a study, the advanced treatment can completely replace the three to six-week course of traditional radiation by administering a targeted dose of radiation during the patient’s tumor removal surgery.

Researchers found there was no significant difference in the recurrence rates or survival rates between this new procedure and traditional external beam radiation.

TARGIT-IORT is groundbreaking as all necessary treatment can be completed in one day, reducing or even eliminating unnecessary travel during the pandemic.

“We are proud to be the first in Mississippi to provide such an important treatment for women, particularly during the pandemic when exposure should be minimized. This leading edge, clinically-supported radiotherapy system will allow us to provide our patients with another treatment option in the fight against breast cancer,” said Heather Sistrunk, Chief Executive Officer at Merit Health Woman’s Hospital.

“Women with early-stage breast cancer, who are eligible for the treatment, achieve the same benefits of traditional radiation with fewer office visits and fewer side effects than traditional radiation. As a physician, I am excited to offer this treatment to eligible early-stage breast cancer patients in our state,” said Phillip Ley, MD, FACS, surgical oncologist at Merit Health Woman’s Hospital.

Patients who meet the following criteria may be eligible for the new treatment:

· Age 45 or older

· Invasive ductal cancer of the breast

· Have breast cancer in only one part of the breast

· Have breast cancer treatable with lumpectomy

· Have a tumor that is 3 cm (1.5 inches) or smaller

· Don’t have any signs of cancer in the lymph nodes

· Have stage 1 or early stage 2 breast cancer

To learn more about Merit Health Woman’s Hospital’s introduction of intraoperative radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment, please visit MeritHealthWomansHospital.com.