Six month follow up on a series of patients treated with an electronic brachytherapy technique for intracavitary accelerated partial breast irradiation

Xoft Axxent electronic brachytherapy

Balloon-based brachytherapy was developed to render accelerated partial-breast irradiation more accessible to breast cancer patients. Xoft Axxent electronic brachytherapy (eBX) is a novel method of accelerated partial-breast irradiation that utilizes an electronic source to produce x-rays. eBX does not require a high dose rate afterloader unit or a shielded vault and, thus, may appeal to a larger number of patients undergoing the accelerated partial-breast irradiation procedure. eBX is associated with a lower radiation dose to normal tissues and larger 'hot spots' than treatment with the MammoSite device. Additional applications are also being developed for eBX, including endometrial cancer treatment.

Xoft Axxent electronic brachytherapy: a new device for delivering brachytherapy to the breast

Balloon-based brachytherapy was developed to simplify the brachytherapy technique and make accelerated partial breast irradiation more accessible to patients with breast cancer who are suitable candidates for this technique. Xoft Axxent (Xoft, Inc., Sunnyvale, CA) electronic brachytherapy is a novel method of accelerated partial breast irradiation that uses an electronic source to produce X-rays. Xoft Axxent treatment does not require a high-dose-rate afterloader unit or a shielded vault, unlike other brachytherapy techniques that use iridium-192, such as MammoSite brachytherapy. Xoft Axxent is associated with the delivery of less radiation to normal tissues, and increased high radiation dose regions or 'hot spots' to the target volume compared with treatment with the MammoSite device. Further research will be needed to determine subgroups of patients who might benefit from treatment with Xoft Axxent electronic brachytherapy.