FDA Approves Device to Treat Breast Lumps
From Times Wire Reports
WASHINGTON, D.C.
U.S. regulators approved a device that provides a new treatment option for women who have had a cancerous breast lump removed.
The MammoSite Radiation Therapy System is designed to send radiation directly to the site where the lump was taken out, with minimal radiation to surrounding tissue, the Food and Drug Administration said.
The device, a hollow catheter with an inflatable balloon attached, is made by Proxima Therapeutics Inc. of Alpharetta, Ga. Doctors must implant the device into the breast at the lumpectomy site to deliver doses of radiation. Treatment lasts one to five days, the company said. The implant is removed after radiation therapy is completed.
