17 janvier, 2007 18:18

Radiation seeds for treating breast cancer

Other than certain types of skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, regardless of race or ethnicity. Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer deaths among Hispanic women. Nearly 200,000 women are diagnosed with the cancer each year. More than 1,000 men are diagnosed each year. More than 40,000 women die each year from the disease.

Each year, scientists develop new drugs, techniques and devices to help women win the battle against breast cancer. Cancer treatment can include harsh chemotherapy and painful radiation treatments. Radiation can burn skin and cause other unpleasant side effects. External radiation beams must be applied precisely in order to deliver the maximum dose to the tumor and not to the surrounding tissue.

New ways to deliver radiation therapy are cutting down on side effects and helping women get on with their lives as soon as possible.

Brachytherapy is radiation therapy applied internally to the tumor. Some techniques of brachytherapy involve the patient having a wound held open with a catheter in her breast for several days or longer. Through this incision, radiation oncologists insert radioactive materials for prescribed lengths of time to kill any remaining cancer cells.

Now, researchers in Toronto are developing a way to implant permanent titanium beads in the breast. The beads deliver most of their radiation over two weeks and then remain in the breast. Women only need one trip to the doctor's office for this type of radiation treatment rather than days or weeks of appointments for other brachytherapy techniques or for external beam radiation. Men already receive a similar kind of treatment for prostate cancer.

Jean-Philippe Pignol, M.D., an oncologist at Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre in Toronto, Canada, is studying permanent radiation implants for women with breast cancer. So far, he reports the 63 women he's treated have all had success. None have evidence of their cancer returning and preliminary evidence shows they are six-times less likely to experience acute skin irritation than women who receive external beam radiation.

Pignol says it's important to offer treatments that allow women to get back to their lives sooner.
"Basically, the patient can lead a normal life -- go home, take care of their kids, and have the normal life that you love," he said.

Breast cancer treatments can be very disruptive to the lives of women and their families.

"Just the idea to go everyday to receive radiation treatment can really break you down," he said.
Researchers also tested whether or not the people closest to the women with radioactive implants would be exposed to radiation, which could increase their risk of developing cancer. Pignol reports the partners of the women in his study had no exposure to the radiation.

For more information, visit

http://www.sunnybrook.ca/programs/tsrcc/fornewpatients.