Radiation treatment is often necessary for breast cancer patients to ensure remaining cancer cells don't come back after a lumpectomy. It can be painful, time consuming, and emotionally and physically draining. Now, a new therapy cuts treatment time from several weeks to one day.

June McNamee counts her family among her many blessings. They were her lifeline when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. What she dreaded most? Weeks of intensive radiation.

Radiation Seeds For Breast Cancer

"My son's next-door neighbor had breast cancer, and had radiation," said June. "She had skin discoloration, and she had burning."

So June jumped at the chance to join a clinical trial testing a new therapy. Instead of going in for weeks of intense radiation, June was injected with permanent radiation implants. In a one-time procedure, doctors insert needles in the breast that are loaded with small titanium seeds.

"These seeds are radioactive and will treat the area for the next two months," said Dr. Jean-Philippe Pignol of Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Center.

The seeds continuously deliver the radiation until it's gone, and they don't have to be removed. That means patients have only one short procedure instead of weeks of disruption. In a study of 44 patients, all participants responded well and none had their cancer return.

"So basically, the patient can live a normal life," said Dr. Pignol. "Go home, take care of kids. Do the normal things they want to do like going to work."

"I have the same lifestyle now as I did before the cancer," said June.

This is the first time permanent radiation implants have been tested on breast cancer patients. Other temporary implants had to be removed.

Researchers tested the patients' spouses for radiation exposure and found no evidence of harmful levels.