New Experimental Treatment for Breast Cancer Available at Inova

In keeping with efforts to provide the best individualized breast cancer treatment available, Inova Fairfax Hospital has recently begun offering intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT). IORT is a relatively new radiation treatment for breast cancer that offers advantages over traditional radiation for some patients.

Unlike traditional external radiation treatment, which is done over a period of six to eight weeks, IORT takes no more than 30 minutes. It is done after a lumpectomy, a surgical procedure that removes a cancerous tumor from a patient’s breast. Under ideal conditions, no other radiation treatments are required.

While the treatment will not be applicable for every breast cancer patient — for example, patients receiving IORT must conform to specific criteria — a key benefit of this new treatment is that it offers Inova Fairfax Hospital breast cancer patients more treatment options.

“This treatment is ideal for older patients with small, low-grade tumors who are worried about having to drive for multiple radiation treatments,” says Costanza Cocilovo, MD, FACS, Medical Director, Inova Breast Care Center. “It is great to have one additional method of radiation delivery so we can offer patients more personalized care.”