One-Step Breast Cancer Procedure Radically Cuts Treatment Time
Posted June 19, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Breast cancer. It’s the two words that every woman fears, and it seems, every woman has had some experience with, whether a mother, sister, aunt, or for the unlucky, themselves. Princess Margaret Hospital has some good news to share with women facing this challenging disease – surgery and radiation in one procedure that has created some amazing results.
On May 17 of this year, PMH performed their first surgery using the new Zeiss Intrabeam, which delivers a focused dose of radiation directly into the incision. Once the tumour is removed, a probe attached to the portable intrabeam radiotherapy machine is inserted into the area and the patient is treated while still under general anesthesia. The entire procedure takes less than an hour and is equivalent to 16 conventional radiation treatments over three weeks.
“The potential benefits to patients are huge” says lead surgeon Dr. David McCready, “Treating the specific area of cancer with this kind of precision protects the skin, heart and lungs from unnecessary radiation, minimizes side effects, and saves the patient a lot of time.”
A randomized clinical trial is starting now and researchers will be looking for older breast cancer patients with small, early stage tumours (less than 2cm). The procedure was pioneered four years ago in Britain.
To read more about the European clinical trial, click here.
For more information on the treatment, click here.
For more information on the Zeiss Intrabeam, click here (warning, graphic content).
For more information on the Princess Margaret Hospital’s M. Lau Breast Centre, click here.
