Intrabeam is a new treatment option for breast cancer patients. The procedure allows patients to have their surgery and radiation in a session lasting about 90 minutes.
Dr. James Edney, a surgical oncologist at The Nebraska Medical Center, says the intrabeam device allows doctors a unique way to deliver all the radiation a patient needs in one treatment to the tumor site in the operating room.
Breast cancer patient Marcia Shanahan says she was referred to Dr. Edney through a friend. She says after finding out about intrabeam, she decided to try it.
Shanahan says it made a huge difference for her.
"Recovery has gone well, healing has gone well. It turned out I do need chemo which I’ve started now. But if I hadn’t had the interoperative radiation, I would have had surgery, recovery, chemo for 12 weeks and then an additional 6 weeks of radiation. It would have really stretched out that treatment plan.”
Six weeks after her treatment, Shanahan is back at work. Currently, the intrabeam treatment is only available in this region at the Nebraska Medical Center.