(COLUMBUS, Ohio) October 2014 – Doctors are making radiation therapy more effective for breast cancer patients simply by modifying the table a woman lays on, and by turning her onto her stomach during treatment. Traditionally, women who undergo radiation therapy lie on their backs, and while that approach can be very effective, there’s a slight chance of radiation damage to healthy heart and lung tissue. It’s also been associated with long-term problems in the shape of the affected breast.
“By turning a woman over onto her stomach we can treat the breast underneath the board and virtually eliminate those concerns,” said Dr. Julia White of The Ohio State University’s James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. “We’ve developed a modified treatment board that minimizes the exposure of heart and lung tissue and is leading to better outcomes overall,” she said.
