Evelyn Waterworth was undergoing her yearly mammogram when she got the news every woman dreads: Doctors discovered a suspicious area on her mammogram and wanted to biopsy the lesion to determine if she had breast cancer. When the biopsy was performed a few days later, her worst fears came true. The tissue sample was malignant.

"I thought it was a death sentence," says Waterworth. "I thought my world was coming to an end and wondered how much longer I'd be able to see my grandchildren."

But the 68-year-old Las Vegas resident received some encouraging news. Because she had been undergoing regular mammograms, her breast cancer was detected at an early, more treatable stage. In addition, she was a candidate for breastconservation techniques and two innovative procedures -- sentinel node biopsy and five-day internal radiation therapy using a MammoSite Balloon Device.

"These procedures are the two most important advances in breast cancer treatment over the past five years," says Theodore Potruch, MD, a surgeon who focuses exclusively on breast disease and maintains his practice on the Valley Hospital campus. "They can help us better target cancer and make treatment easier on patients."

Expert care
Dr. Potruch performed a lumpectomy and removed Waterworth's tumor while leaving the rest of her breast intact. During the surgery at Valley Hospital, he also inserted a MammoSite balloon and tube that would remain outside her breast so it could be used during her radiation treatment. After he closed her incision, he inflated the balloon with a saline and dye solution.

During the same procedure, Dr. Potruch used a radioactive tracer, a handheld Geiger counter and a newer technique called sentinel node biopsy to locate the sentinel node. That's the first lymph node to receive drainage from the area where Waterworth's cancer was located. He removed the node and sent it to a pathologist for evaluation. No cancer was detected in the sentinel node, so Dr. Potruch didn't remove Waterworth's other nodes. That meant Waterworth wouldn't suffer lymphedema and other uncomfortable side effects that often occur when the lymph nodes are removed.

Waterworth began radiation therapy the week after her procedure, but instead of facing weeks of radiation on her entire breast, she had internal brachytherapy twice a day for just five days utilizing the Balloon Device. During these treatments, a machine released tiny radioactive seeds that traveled through the stem of the balloon into the cavity where the lump was removed.

The seed stayed in place -- the precise location of her cancer -- for 10 minutes, then the machine automatically removed the seed. This was repeated twice daily for five days. Afterwards, the balloon was deflated and removed.

A bright future
"My treatment was done so quickly it was a great relief off my shoulders," says Waterworth. "I'm definitely going to my follow-up appointments and continuing getting mammograms because early detection is the key that saved my life." Not all women are candidates for these procedures, but Dr. Potruch says advanced treatments are improving the outlook for many women.

"We have many sophisticated techniques that help us treat breast cancer, reduce the risk of recurrences, decrease the side effects of treatment and improve the appearance of the breast," Dr. Potruch says. "The outlook for Mrs. Waterworth and other women with breast cancer has never been better."

For more information about these innovative breast cancer treatments, call Dr. Potruch at 382-2273.

The Valley Health System c/o Valley Hospital Medical Center 620 Shadow Lane Las Vegas, NV 89106