PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, one clear takeaway is that research—both big and small—is making a real difference in the daily lives of those battling the disease.
Some of that innovation is happening right here at home.
WATCH: Device helps radiologists see where to target radiation
A local team of medical professionals has created a device that’s now being implanted in breast cancer patients across the country. It’s called Accusyte—a small piece of metal inside a suture.
Dr. Andrew Shapiro is the medical director of the breast program at Wellington Regional Medical Center and a surgeon with Advanced Surgical Physicians in Wellington. He says he’s implanted several dozen of the devices during tumor removal surgeries for women who plan to go through radiation treatments.
Accusyte helps radiologists see exactly where to target radiation, allowing for more accurate treatment and fewer harmful side effects.
“Radiation is certainly not without certain things that can happen, side effects, right? Women can have skin changes, either thickening of the skin, pigmentation changes, redness, different types of visible changes,” Dr. Shapiro explained. “It’s definitely important to pinpoint that radiation so that surrounding tissues are spared of any unnecessary exposure.”
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Breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the U.S. and the second most deadly. Dr. Shapiro says he is seeing more breast cancer patients—but that could also be due to increased screening and awareness.
“It provides a tremendous opportunity for patients to be treated most effectively and more targeted and minimize that question of are we delivering radiation to the right area.”
The new technology gives doctors a clearer picture and patients more peace of mind, and Dr. Shaprio says, another example of how innovation in medicine continues to move treatment forward.
