Low toxicity with SAVI breast brachytherapy

ORLANDO-Using the SAVI applicator for breast brachytherapy, 14 of 18 patients experienced no skin reactions, and the other four had only minor reactions that resolved quickly, Constantine Mantz, MD, reported at the 25th Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference. Dr. Mantz, a radiation oncologist at 21st Century Oncology, Inc. Fort Myers, Florida, said that the overall cosmetic outcomes with SAVI were rated excellent.

SAVI, made by Cianna Medical Inc., is a single-entry, multicatheter device. It is the only accelerated partial breast irradiation single-entry device that can customize the dose according to patient-specific anatomy, Dr. Mantz said.

He noted that nearly 60% of patients in the study had tumors located close to the skin surface, a location that excluded them from treatment with balloon brachytherapy