Early 1970’s   

Brachytherapy (the term applied to delivering radiation internally) used for the first time in patients with prostate cancer. Urologist in New York City implants permanent radioactive seeds to deliver targeted radiation therapy from the inside out. 

1991

Brachytherapy for breast cancer performed as a primary radiation treatment for the first time through a complex procedure involving multiple catheters that deliver radiation from inside the tumor resection cavity.

May 2000

First patient treated during the clinical trial of MammoSite Radiation Therapy System (RTS), a single-catheter brachytherapy device that delivers a prescribed dose of radiation from inside the cavity created by the removal of the breast tumor.

October 2000

Study published in the American Journal of Surgery involving 50 breast cancer patients treated with brachytherapy following partial mastectomy surgery.  Finds it to be “an attractive alternative to external radiation treatment” for selected patients.

April 2001

Data collected between January 1993 and January 2000, involving 174 cases of early-stage breast cancer published in Journal of Clinical Oncology. Data from patients treated with brachytherapy indicate results comparable to those achieved with conventional external radiation therapy.

July 2001

International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics publishes study of 37 patients with breast cancer treated with brachytherapy as sole therapy following lumpectomy. This treatment is “both technically feasible and well-tolerated.”

May 2002

FDA clearance of MammoSite Radiation Therapy System (RTS).

First MammoSite patient celebrates two years cancer-free.

First patient in Europe treated with MammoSite (Italy).

August 2002

Patient registry initiated to follow patients treated with MammoSite.

September 2002

More than 300 patients have been treated with MammoSite.

October 2002

New England Journal of Medicine highlights equivalent survival rates for women who opt for breast conservation therapy (a lumpectomy followed by radiation) over mastectomy.

MammoSite featured in panel discussion at American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology Annual Meeting.

December 2002

National Cancer Institute (NCI) hosts leadership meeting to discuss partial breast irradiation.

January 2003

International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics publishes study that finds MammoSite is a safe, simpler method for performing breast brachytherapy.

Over 800 women have been treated with MammoSite to date; 175 centers offer MammoSite.

February 2003

National physician conference for MammoSite in Miami; more than 140 breast specialists attend.

March 2003

Data from 30 centers has been collected in MammoSite patient registry.

April 2003

American Brachytherapy Society issues guidelines for selecting patients and states that MammoSite provides “the ability to complete treatment in five days and has the potential to provide additional women with the option of breast conservation.”

May 2003

MammoSite featured at American Society of Breast Surgeons meeting.

ASBS issues guidelines for selecting patients appropriate for brachytherapy.

More than 1,500 patients have been treated with MammoSite one year after FDA clearance.

First MammoSite patient celebrates three years cancer-free.

June 2003

Data from more than 50 centers has been accrued in the MammoSite patient registry.