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New, world-class treatment for breast cancer patients at Genesis CancerCare Queensland’s centre at John Flynn Private Hospital at Tugun is providing peace of mind and a reduced risk of potential cardiac side effects.
Whilst modern radiotherapy for left sided breast cancer is a well-proven treatment with low side-effects, the new treatment further reduces the risk of radiation injury to the heart.
The new Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH) technique requires patients to hold their breath during their daily radiation treatment. The purpose is to increase the distance between the heart and the left breast. When the natural space between the heart and the breast is at its greatest, treatment is delivered, reducing the heart’s exposure to radiation.
This treatment is a significant clinical advance as well as having important benefits in reducing patient anxiety. The proximity of the heart and coronary vessels in patients with left sided breast cancer can cause concern when radiotherapy is necessary, so the knowledge that radiation risk is reduced can help to lessen some of the traditional treatment stress.
Another first for this treatment is that patients participate directly with their treatment – they wear video goggles that allow them to control their depth of breathing during the treatment by visualising how deep their breath hold is.
For more information about Genesis CancerCare Queensland’s radiation therapy services please call (07) 5507 3600 or go to to the website.
