Less invasive breast cancer treatment

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Technology developed by a Purdue Research Park company could provide a better treatment for breast cancer. For decades, breast cancer patients have endured invasive and costly radiation treatment. But a "clean cure" could soon be a treatment option.

"The fact that we can literally go inside of the body, right to where the cancer is, and kind of do the things that radiation does the best and then make it all go away, that's just a huge benefit," Nano-Rad President, Richard Mussmann said.

The Nano-Rad Fade technology implants a low-dose of radiation within the area where a cancerous tumor has been removed. Over the course of the treatment, the radiation and its carrier will be absorbed by the body.

"The surgeon at the very same surgery would put our device in to put radiation where the tumor used to be so if there are any microscopic cells of cancer that got left behind they will get treated with radiation and then greatly reduce the odds that there is going to be a re-occurrence later in life for the patient," Mussmann said.

Mussmann said the technology will eliminate implanted catheters and multiple trips back to the doctor for radiation. This will cut down on the time and cost of traditional radiation treatment.

Candidates for this treatment would be women in the early stages of breast cancer. This is about 80 percent of all breast cancer patients. Mussmann said this technology has the potential to work on other types of cancer.

"Our ability is to fundamentally put the radiation right where they need it and they just tell us how they want it and then we can go after a lot of different cancers and a lot of people can get the benefits of this clean cure," Mussmann said.

Richard Mussmann said the technology will need to undergo further testing before it gets FDA approval.