Questions Expert Bios Submit A Question Questions Key Opinion Leaders offer their experience-based recommendations on a variety of MammoSite-related topics. Please use the dropdown menu to view questions by topic. View by Topic GeneralAccelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI)Patient SelectionSurgical ProcedureClinical DataTreatment PlanningCosmesis, Seroma, InfectionPatient Education In terms of mammography, have there been advances that have actually made it an even better tool? What is it about breast conservation therapy that makes you want to recommend it as treatment option to your patients? How do your patients respond when you first suggest the possibility of partial breast irradiation? What do you tell patients to expect from MammoSite? Do you have enough confidence with this product and that this therapy works well with your patients? Are seromas a challenge? If yes, what steps do you take to prevent them? Do you use prophylactic antibiotics? How do you handle air around the balloon once it’s placed? How do you handle skin spacing issues with MammoSite? What techniques could the surgeon use to address potential skin spacing issues? Do you have any challenges in sizing the balloon for the lumpectomy space inside? What is your experience with cosmesis and what do you consider important factors to improve it? What would you explain to a patient developing a hematoma from a lumpectomy? What advice would you offer to a surgeon just starting to perform MS placements? Should chemo be given pre or post MammoSite treatment? How do you partner with your Rad Oncs? Are patients with breast augmentation good candidates for MammoSite? What is your preferred time/place for implanting MammoSite? Please discuss your consultation with the patient regarding breast radiation process. How do you handle skin-spacing issues? Are Seromas a problem? Why do APBI? What advice would you provide in the event that the MS balloon appears to be asymmetrical prior to treatment? What do we consider local recurrence? How do you use the CED? What advice would you provide in the event that the MammoSite balloon appears to be asymmetrical prior to treatment? How can a radiation oncologist’s pre-op assessment of the lumpectomy cavity benefit the surgeon? How would you handle air around the balloon in terms of treatment of the patient? What is the disadvantage of having air and/or fluid around the balloon, and how might it affect treatment? How do you minimize potential side effects of inadequate skin spacing? What is your experience with cosmesis? What would be your recommendations to your colleagues for insuring good balloon-to-cavity conformance? How do you respond when a patient asks if MammoSite will really treat her cancer? What advice would you offer to a radiation oncologist just starting to use MammoSite? Is using MammoSite easy to adapt to? What is the medical physicist’s role in radiology and oncology? In terms of MammoSite treatment versus whole breast radiation, how different is that for you from a treatment pathway? How important is the team approach to help you maximize the effectiveness of the dose? How do you handle less-than-ideal balloon placement (eg, seroma, narrow skin spacing)? Are there any cases that you would say are not appropriate for a MammoSite, and if so, why not? Have you found it helpful to wait a few days after balloon implantation to let fluid and air resolve itself? Do you have any advice for treating with multiple dwell positions? Would you say high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is familiar to radiation oncologists and medical physicists? After MammoSite balloon placement, have there been occasions in which you decided to remove the balloon and use a different treatment modality? How long have you been involved with MammoSite and why did you adopt it? What kind of challenges do you have as a surgeon with working with MammoSite? What specific about skin spacing is important and what would you advise colleagues to really pay attention to? Are there any challenges or anything you have learned about skin spacing that would help your colleagues? How do you assess skin spacing, and what tools do you use? Of the various configurations of MammoSite catheters, is there a particular type(s) that you favor? How do you use the CED during surgery? In what ways are seromas a challenge and what kind of steps do you take to prevent them? What is your experience with cosmesis and how do the side effects of MammoSite radiation exposure differ from those observed in whole breast radiation therapy? What are the challenges in sizing the balloon for large lumpectomy cavities and how do you handle them? Have you had any patients that have received whole breast radiation prior to MammoSite in the contralateral breast? What advice would you give to a surgeon just starting to perform MammoSite? When you experience hematoma, is it different from preparing for a MammoSite versus a traditional whole breast? What would you say to a surgeon who says there’s not enough randomized prospective data on MammoSite? How do you consult your patients on the MammoSite versus whole breast radiation? Is MammoSite appropriate for every patient? What would your response be to a surgeon who says that he or she doesn’t like the CED because of increased chance of infection, extended length of time, etc.? How wide an ellipse of skin would you take to maximize skin distance? Is there any particular technique you had to learn to close the skin after deep suture? Home |  Topics |  Educational Resources |  Expert Opinions |  Links |  Privacy Policy |  Terms of Use |  Contact Us |  Sitemap Hologic™, Inc. All Rights Reserved