Each October, we raise awareness for breast cancer while promoting preventive screenings and honoring cancer survivors.  Community Care Physicians provides services related to cancer screenings as well as cancer treatment.  Community Care Physicians provides some of the most innovative and state of the art cancer treatments offered in the Capital Region.

Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) of Community Care Physicians offers unique solutions for cancer treatment. One of these cancer treatments is Prone Breast Radiation Therapy. Prone Breast Radiation Therapy is a safer, more effective way to treat breast cancer than traditional radiation therapy.

How does it work?

With traditional radiation therapy, patients are treated in the supine position, or lying on their back.  This position can be much less safe since the heart, lungs, and surrounding tissue are exposed to radiation.  Treatment can also be inconsistent since the breast may not lay exactly the same way for each treatment meaning radiation treatment may not be consistent and accurate during each treatment.

Prone Breast Radiation Therapy treats the patient in the prone position, or lying face down.  A specially designed table with a breast board is used to help the patient lay more comfortably in the prone position.  Lying in the prone position allows the breast to hang away from the body with the healthy breast kept close to the body in order to better isolate the treatment area.  With the affected area isolated from internal organs and surrounding muscles and tissue, treatment is able to be administered safely and effectively.

Prone Breast Radiation Therapy is the preferred radiation therapy technique for women with left breast cancer due to the left breasts close proximity to the heart, but it is very effective in treating right breast cancer as well.  It is also especially effective in treating cancers in larger breasts which are especially difficult to treat consistently in the traditional supine position.

How else is Breast Cancer treated?

Aside from radiation therapy, Breast Cancer can also be treated with chemotherapy or surgery.  Many times a combination of treatments is used.  At Community Care Physicians, patients benefit from our vast network of providers and our variety of specialties.  Upstate Hematology Oncology (UHO), located at 2125 River Road in Niskayuna, offers chemotherapy treatment for breast and a variety of other cancers. 

Surgical options for breast cancer include lumpectomy, or removal of the tumor and surrounding tissue, and mastectomy, a complete or partial removal of the breast.  Community Care Physicians General Surgery can perform both procedures, and is conveniently located in the Capital Region Health Park just a few suites away from IGRT, which also calls the Capital Region Health Park its home.  Many times after a lumpectomy or a mastectomy, radiation therapy may be required which is why the convenience of having these two Community Care practices in the same building is so important.  Follow the links to learn more about IGRT, UHO, and Community Care Physicians General Surgery.