Shortened Radiation Trial Advances Breast Cancer Treatment

M. Michele Blackwood, MD, FACS, director of breast surgery, RWJBarnabas Health, director of women’s oncologic health, RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute, and head of breast surgery, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, highlights an innovative trial delivering 1 week of pre-surgery and 2 weeks of post-surgery radiation for patients with breast cancer. The study was presented on at the 42nd Annual Miami Breast Cancer Conference.

Transcription:

0:10 | The study that we addressed was basically a really interesting trial that Bruce Haffty, MD, MS, at [the Cancer Institute of New Jersey] decided to look into. And it was radiation divided for lumpectomy for patients, and you gave 1 week ahead of time and 2 weeks afterwards. And it considerably shortened the traditional course of post lumpectomy radiation after breast cancer. So, we were all very excited to jump on board with it. Our surgeons that are radiation oncologists really worked hard to work together. You basically give 1 week of radiation prior to the lumpectomy, then you do the operation, and then you give 2 weeks afterwards, and that is usually 4 to 6 weeks later.

1:00 | The issue is that this has never been done before, where basically you are splitting up the radiation and shortening it at the same time. So, the nice part is, the reason that this trial even started was the thought that we do a lot of what is called mastopexies or oncoplastic surgery at the time of lumpectomy. So, if you are doing a breast lift at the time, and you are moving breast tissue around inside the breast, the radiation oncologist is not sure where to give that boost, because the cancer might have been in the upper outer quadrant, but now we have other breast tissue up there. Is this the same place where originally the tumor was, and this is the original tissue. So this way, you are targeting the exact spot right away and you know that what you're targeting is that cancer.

1:51 | Dr. Ferris, as we call him, is one of our great breast surgeons, and he looked at the oncotype of the breast cancer prior to the radiation and then after the radiation, and what he found is there's almost no significant difference. We did not know if that would be the case or not, because this is a partially treated breast cancer, and we did not want to impact the overall appropriate treatment of the breast cancer, and this way we can be assured that the safe for patients to have done so it is taking on some legs here, because it is actually a really nice option for patients, particularly when they do not want to have multiple weeks after surgery, having the radiation, and they want to get on with their lives. So this way, while they are waiting to have their surgery and they are meeting with a plastic surgeon and they are getting all their pre op testing, they get a week of radiation under their belt, and it is not hurting the overall treatment we think of the breast cancer.