Radiologists at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have invented a shield designed to protect healthy breast tissue from radiotherapy scatter-related damage. A team of Cleveland Clinic radiation oncologists and physicists developed the first working model of the mobile breast shield in 1999. Subsequent clinical trials demonstrated the shield cut the radiation dose to healthy breasts up to 70%.
"Radiation risks to healthy breast tissue in radiotherapy treatment appear to be insignificant for a majority of women," said Dr. Roger Macklis, chairman of the department of radiation oncology at the Cleveland Clinic.
"The review of data on contralateral breast cancer risk, however, indicates there might be a small group of patients with known epidemiological risk factors who may be at increased risk of developing second breast cancers in the opposite breast," he added.
The breast shield technology is now available to all patients receiving radiotherapy for breast cancer at the Cleveland Clinic.
By AuntMinnie.com staff writersAugust 30, 2001
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