Earlier this month the University of Wisconsin Cancer Center Riverview became the first medical facility in the world to treat patients with a breakthrough treatment of skin cancer. Located within Riverview Hospital, Wisconsin Rapids, the UW Cancer Center Riverview is the first to treat skin cancer patients with the FDA-cleared Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System from Xoft, Inc. Electronic Brachytherapy, eBx? , delivers a high therapeutic dose to a cancer tumor while sparing nearby normal tissue by using a miniaturized X-ray source rather than radioactive isotopes (see also Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer).
The Riverview center initiated treatments on three patients with non-melanoma skin cancers under the direction of James S. Welsh, M.S., M.D., the center's radiation oncologist and a clinical professor in the Department of Human Oncology and Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Welsh collaborated with Yi Rong, Ph.D., chief medical physicist at UW Cancer Center Riverview, on the planning and delivery of the treatments. Dr. Rong will be discussing this process at the 51st annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine on July 26-30 in Anaheim, Calif.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States with more than 1 million cases diagnosed annually and results in more than 10,000 deaths each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. However, if diagnosed and treated early, most cases of skin cancer can be cured. While melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancers, it accounts for less than 10 percent of all cases. Non-melanoma skin cancers, such as basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, represent the majority of all new cases.
"We are dedicated to bringing the most complete and innovative cancer care to patients in central Wisconsin, which is why we are so excited to introduce electronic brachytherapy as a treatment for non-melanoma skin cancer," said Dr. Welsh. "By using the Xoft skin applicator, which just became available in June, we shorten the course of treatment and precisely conform the radiation dose to the cancerous cells to preserve healthy surrounding tissue. This is safer both for patients and for radiation therapy staff who are able to remain in the room to monitor and reassure patients during the treatments."
Treatment options for non-melanoma skin cancer include several types of surgery, topical treatments and radiation therapy. The location and extent of the cancer impacts which treatment option is best for each patient. Whether in combination with surgery or as a stand alone treatment, electronic brachytherapy enables clinicians to administer radiation therapy without the use of a radioactive isotope and in clinical settings where a shielded vault is not needed.
Available for treatment of early stage breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and skin cancer, the Axxent eBx System is also FDA cleared for use in the treatment of surface cancers or conditions where radiation therapy is indicated, including IORT (intraoperative radiation therapy). As a platform technology, the Axxent System is designed to deliver non-radioactive therapy directly to cancer sites with minimal radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissue. Utilizing a proprietary miniaturized X-ray source and robotic controller, treatment can be performed in minimally shielded therapeutic settings allowing the radiation oncologist and other medical personnel to be present during treatment delivery and minimizing patient anxiety.
