Jennifer Matthews: When Kim Thomas found out she had breast cancer, she took it as more than bad news.
Kim Thomas: It was probably the worst news I got in my whole life. You know you hear the diagnosis cancer, you automatically think, death.
Jennifer Matthews: She underwent chemo to shrink the tumor and surgery to remove it. Doctors then recommended radiation as an extra measure, but Kim's tumor was within inches of her heart -- putting it in the field of radiation.
Kim Thomas: So I was probably going to forego radiation if they could not get the heart out of the field.
Jennifer Matthews: Fortunately, doctors offered Kim a solution -- a device that helps her hold her breath.
Dr. Frank Vicini: Such a simple technique as holding your breath ends up being one of the best techniques to avoid irradiating the heart.
Jennifer Matthews: When Kim takes a deep breath, her heart moves away from her chest wall. With the push of a button, the breathing device closes her airway for about ten seconds.
Dr. Frank Vicini: The heart has moved away from the breast significantly from this position to this position and as you can see, the same radiation beam coming in here treating the breast tissue comprehensively, completely avoids the heart.
Jennifer Matthews: That simple shift reduces her risk for heart disease.
Dr. Frank Vicini: In the majority of patients, we are seeing an 80-to 90-percent reduction in the unnecessary dose to the heart.
Jennifer Matthews: Kim says it gave her the reassurance she needed.
Kim Thomas: It was important to get the radiation. To get that extra coverage.
Jennifer Matthews: Extra coverage, without the extra worry. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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