Breast Cancer Patient Now Cancer-Free After IORT Treatment at Inova

Treatment in Time

 Noha Sweid, a Fairfax County real estate agent, was diagnosed with breast cancer in early April and quickly received the new IORT radiation treatment, which offers a convenient, effective, and much less time-intensive treatment option.

For Noha Sweid, the journey to being cancer-free may not have been sweet, but it was certainly short. Sweid, 52, a Fairfax County real estate agent, was diagnosed with breast cancer in early April. Within two weeks of her diagnosis she had received a lumpectomy and was treated with intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), a new treatment.

In fact, because the IORT technology is so new, when David Weintritt, MD, brought it up to Sweid, it was the first time she had heard about it. “I didn’t know about it,” says Sweid. “Dr. Weintritt explained it very well for me — the results, the side effects, really everything about the surgery.”

IORT is performed during a surgery. In Sweid’s case, it was performed during her lumpectomy, after which doctors delivered a concentrated dose of radiation to the spot where the tumor sat. “This concentrated radiation takes the place of a traditional radiation therapy that generally takes weeks and can include daily treatments,” says Dr. Weintritt of Inova Alexandria Hospital. “With IORT we’re able to perform the surgery and deliver radiation therapy in one procedure.”

Sweid grasped the advantages of IORT over traditional radiation therapy. “It was very convenient for me,” says Sweid. “And I didn’t suffer as much as I would have. [Traditional] radiation can also have side effects that I didn’t want.”

Sweid, who is now cancer-free, would recommend the IORT procedure to other women who are candidates. “I think if a woman qualifies for IORT and is thinking about making this kind of decision, she should go ahead with it,” says Sweid. “I suffered less because I avoided 10 [or more] sessions of radiation, and I haven’t seen any negative effects. I was very happy with everything, especially Dr. Weintritt, who was great at explaining everything.”

Advantages of IORT

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is a new technology. However, it is becoming more popular due to its effectiveness in treating cancer. Some advantages of IORT over traditional radiation therapy for breast cancer include:

• Faster treatment and fewer appointments
• Effective treatment because radiation is focused on the tumor bed, which is a common place for cancer to reoccur
• Fewer negative physical effects
• Targeted radiation to one area, sparing other organs from radiation damage

Breast Cancer Treatment Experts

For more information about Inova’s options for breast cancer treatment and other women’s health information, visit inova.org/women.