Precision technology lessens cardiac side effects from breast cancer radiation

Where the Heart Is

Traudy Moldenhauer, a patient treated for breast cancer at the newly named Dwight and Martha  Schar Cancer Institute at Fair Oaks Hospital, is grateful for a new radiation therapy technique called Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH).

“The technique made me feel much better about the radiation treatment,” says Moldenhauer, 72, who sought treatment in 2015. “I went in knowing every precaution was being taken to protect my heart.”

Patients treated for left-sided breast cancer are at a greater risk of long-term cardiac side effects. DIBH reduces cardiac exposure for such patients undergoing radiation. Moldenhauer’s cancer was in her left breast, and her doctors chose to treat her breast cancer with a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, followed by radiation.

“For patients with left-sided breast cancer, we and others have found that delivering radiation therapy when a patient is holding her breath reduces radiation exposure to the heart by displacing cardiac tissues away from the radiation beam,” says radiation oncologist Ashish Chawla, MD, who treated Moldenhauer. “Ms. Moldenhauer did very well with the treatments, and we feel confident this technology will reduce her long-term cardiac risks from radiation therapy to a very low level. While our cardiac exposure was already well within accepted limits, DIBH reduces the risk even further.”

Safe and Precise

When used in conjunction with Inova Fair Oaks Hospital’s Varian TrueBeam™ linear accelerator, DIBH technology reduces heart toxicity from radiation therapy to less than 1 percent. A sensor placed on the patient’s chest tracks movement of the target area to be treated. The sophisticated design of the TrueBeam allows the radiation to turn on only when the patient breathes in and the tumor area is pulled away from the heart.

“Our philosophy of care is to use all of the state-of-the-art technology available at Inova in order to deliver the best possible care while minimizing side effects and toxicity,” says Hernan Vargas, MD, who provided Moldenhauer’s surgical treatment. “Our goal is to help each person return to their life, at a minimum, the way it was prior to breast cancer treatment, and gain a new and more positive perspective on life.”

As for Moldenhauer, a retiree, it’s been more than six months since her treatment and she’s back to walking, bicycling, doing aerobics, woodworking and participating in community theater.

“I’m feeling fine, I feel absolutely fantastic,” she says. “I just had my follow-up mammogram two days ago and everything is clear.”

A Place to Heal

For patients visiting the Schar Cancer Institute at Inova Fair Oaks, comprehensive services are all available in one convenient location. One of the most recent additions to the Institute, a healing garden, provides a peaceful retreat where patients and their loved ones can take time to relax and reflect. The garden, which opened in 2015, offers a walking path, eating areas among the plants and trees and a patio with ample seating. Visitors can also meander through a labyrinth, a soothing circular path designed for meditation.

“The stresses associated with a cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming to patients and caregivers,” says Ann Miner, Director of Cancer Services. “The sights and sounds of nature can provide a few moments of much needed peace.”

Patient-Centered Care

To learn more about cancer services at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, visit www.inova.org/cancer.