Live Tweeting from an IORT Procedure
On Wednesday, Nov 30 starting at 12 p.m. you can follow along as we tweet from an Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT) procedure, one of the first of its kind to be done in Colorado!
We will be live-tweeting the entire surgery and IORT procedure, and posting updates and pictures as well as answering any questions that you might have. Follow us on Twitter for a minute-by-minute account of what is happening, and to learn how IORT works.
What is IORT?
Rose is the first hospital in Denver to offer the Xoft Axxent electric brachytherapy (eBx) system for the treatment of breast cancer.
Brachytherapy is a treatment that involved precise placement of a radiation source internally, allowing for a high dose of radiation to be directed at a specific site within the body, while allowing greater protection of the normal tissues in the surrounding area.
This technology is used for Intraoperative Radiation Therapy (IORT), which can deliver the entire course of radiation therapy in the operating room at the time of surgery and possibly eliminates the need for traditional daily outpatient treatments lasting 5-8 weeks.
It’s like you get to be in the operating room!
Follow along using the Twitter hashtag, #RoseIORT.
Don’t have Twitter? Bookmark this page and view the livestream of tweets during the surgery.
We will also be posting a transcript on our blog, Rose Knows Health afterwards for those who aren’t able to attend live.
Got Questions?
If you have a question about breast cancer or the IORT procedure, let us know!
You can email your questions to Julia.Yugel@HealthONEcares.com.
You can tweet us your question using the hashtag #RoseIORT or to @RoseMedical.
You can also ask your question on this web page the day of the procedure.
In this video, Dr. Schwartzberg explains the breast cancer intraoperative procedure.
About Our Surgeon
Dr. Barbara Schwartzberg is general surgeon who has been in practice for almost 20 years in Denver. She is also the Chairperson of the Rose Medical Center Cancer Committee.
Dr. Schwartzberg received her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She subsequently received a master’s degree in pharmaceutical chemistry from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. She worked at Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis, Indiana doing antibiotic research before moving to Washington, D.C. where she obtained her medical degree from George Washington University.
Dr. Schwartzberg moved to Denver, Colorado in 1985 and completed her general surgery residency and a pediatric surgery/transplant fellowship at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in 1990. She settled into private practice at Rose Medical Center, where she became the first female president of the medical staff. During that time, she has served on numerous committees and boards including the national board on the Commission on Cancer, the Colorado Health Foundation and the HealthOne Division of HCA. She is an Associate Clinical Professor in General Surgery at the University of Colorado.
Dr. Schwartzberg’s specializes in detection and treatment of breast cancer. She has numerous publications and has traveled worldwide lecturing on these topics.
Dr. Schwartzberg lives in Evergreen, Colorado. Her free time is spent with her husband and two dogs enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling and skiing. She is an avid marathoner, and even went to Greece and ran to raise money for breast cancer awareness at the 2,500 anniversary of the original Marathon.
About Our Radiologist
Dr. Kathryn Howell comes from a long line of medical professionals, and she knew that she wanted to go into medicine at a very early age. She believes that patients should always be offered the best and most appropriate care.
Dr. Howell received her medical degree and completed her internship in internal medicine at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. She completed her residency in radiation oncology at Presbyterian/Saint Luke's Medical Center in Denver.
Dr. Howell is an active member of many professional organizations including the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation and Oncology.
