Most patients with early stage breast cancer have the opportunity to choose instead a more extensive surgery mastectomy sparing sparing surgery - lumpectomy - with the same chances for a favorable outcome. If removal is not performed lumpectomy entire affected breast cancer, but only the area of where the tumor, with the capture of normal breast tissue. After that the radiation therapy is the art.
Currently, the standard is considered to be exposure to radiation of all breast cancer after surgery, but now there is another method of radiation - the so-called partial breast irradiation (PBI, or method of MammoSite).
The standard course of radiation therapy lasts six - seven weeks. At the same time exposure captures and surrounding healthy tissue, causing unwanted side effects. A new method of radiation therapy reduces the rate of exposure to five days by increasing the density of radiation. The direction of the beam is carried out in such a way that it does not damage surrounding organs of the chest and abdomen. Needless exposure is conducted in two sessions a day, every 10-15 minutes. In this method has the advantage that in case of new or recurrent tumor in the same breast, but in another of her department, you can re-apply this type of exposure, whereas the standard radiotherapy re-irradiation of the mammary gland is no longer possible.
So, we know that radiation therapy reduces the risk of recurrence of breast cancer by two thirds. This means that the risk of cancer recurrence after surgery, when not conducted radiation therapy was 40%, and if you have radiation therapy - 10%.
The most exposed to this risk is an area of the breast, which is greater than all the other close to the place where the tumor. The risk of recurrence in other parts of the breast cancer is much lower. This statement is true in the case of lumpectomy alone, and in case of postoperative radiation therapy.
Based on these data, oncologists have created a new approach to radiation treatment: radiation to irradiate the entire breast is not, but only those areas that are very close to the site of the tumor. This treatment takes much less time (only 5-7 days). Early small studies of the effectiveness of a new method of partial breast irradiation provide very encouraging results.
Advantages of MammoSite
The method of partial breast irradiation allows a much shortened course of radiation therapy, because it lasts only 5-7 days instead of 5-7 weeks of standard radiation therapy. In the method of partial breast irradiation, the radiation goes directly to the area where the tumor was removed, that is the place where the most likely to cause cancer recurrence.
Clinical trials of partial breast irradiation showed its better tolerability patients, fewer side effects in a short period of time. This type of radiation therapy on an outpatient basis, that is, the patient must not reside at the hospital.
Five-year study of the method of partial breast irradiation showed:
the absence of local recurrence;
excellent cosmetic results in 82% of patients;
all patients, the last method of partial breast irradiation, have recommended it to friends suffering from breast cancer;
all patients, the last method of partial breast irradiation, if necessary, re-radiation therapy re-used this method.
How does the method of partial breast irradiation (MammoSite)
Once the tumor is removed (that is, an operation lumpectomy), in an area where the tumor was established a small balloon attached to a thin catheter. Next, a balloon catheter filled with saline solution to tightly fill the space where the tumor. Outside is a small tip of the catheter, so it can be fixed. Then, when the balloon catheter is already installed in the mammary gland, performed X-ray images to clarify the location of the balloon. Then the catheter is connected to a special device by which a balloon is introduced radioactive substance. After irradiation of the balloon is removed radioactive material, and the catheter is disconnected from the apparatus. After five days of treatment is completed and the balloon gently removed through the same incision.
Side effects of the method of partial breast irradiation are most often: redness, bruising Pain in the breast.
However, they do not appear in all patients. These effects are characteristic of radiation therapy for breast and pass through a short period of time after treatment. Sometimes, from a place where the catheter was installed, can be serous discharge, which also pass through a short time.
