Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy Immediately Following Resection of Early Stage Breast Cancer

Breast Conserving Therapy (BCT) is a standard treatment option for patients with stage I or II breast cancer. Breast conserving therapy consists of surgical removal of the tumor with negative margins, axillary lymph node dissection or sentinel node biopsy and radiation therapy. Several studies have shown BCT to be comparable to mastectomy in terms of overall and disease free survival for patients. The major advantage to BCT over mastectomy is breast preservation and reduced psychological trauma to the patient. The major disadvantage to BCT is prolonged time of treatment. The whole breast radiation portion of BCT can add 7 weeks to the treatment time. This additional treatment time can be a detriment to women who logistically may not be able to meet the demands of daily irradiation for 6-7 weeks. A new form of treatment, breast brachytherapy, was developed to decrease the treatment time required for breast irradiation. This treatment uses the Xoft Axxent system to administer intra-operative breast brachytherapy in one treatment, at the time of lumpectomy in the operating room. This study has been designed to assess local recurrence, serious adverse events, adverse events and their severity, and cosmesis following intra-operative radiation therapy (IORT) using the Xoft Axxent System and balloon applicators. The study device is FDA cleared. The purpose of this clinical study is to compile data on the treatment of patients using the Xoft Axxent System for the delivery of radiation therapy in the intra-operative setting as part of breast conserving therapy in women with resected, early stage breast cancer.