Many breast cancer patients can be treated with a single shot of radiotherapy – whilst undergoing surgery, London researchers have reported.
University College London researchers have claimed success for the TARGIT-IORT treatment, which uses an intrabeam to deliver radiotherapy during lumpectomy, focusing on the site from which the tumour has been removed.
According to the new analysis, 80% of patients do not need post-operative external beam therapy following the treatment, first developed in 1998.
The findings of the new trial, involving 32 centres in ten countries, have been reported in the British Journal of Cancer. Participants were in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Switzerland, the USA, Canada and Australia.
The study involved more than 2,000 patients followed for periods of up to ten years.
Researcher Professor Michael Baum said: “These results are the highest level of evidence proving not only the effectiveness of TARGIT-IORT but confirming that it avoids deaths from other causes.
“The new data is biologically very interesting and the new tools will make its application in routine clinical practice much easier. I am pleased that it will benefit thousands of breast cancer patients around the world.”
UCL Professor of Clinical Oncology Professor Jeffrey Tobias said: “With TARGIT-IORT, the majority of patients presenting with early localised breast cancer will never need any further radiotherapy.
“They will avoid all the side effects of whole breast radiotherapy. The chance of remaining free of local recurrence (in the breast itself) is the same as with traditional treatment, but our new analysis shows that even if they do get a local relapse, it will not detract from an excellent prognosis – as good as not having a relapse – a rather different state of affairs from the more serious outlook if this were to happen after EBRT.”
New clinical and biological insights from the international TARGIT-A randomised trial of targeted intraoperative radiotherapy during lumpectomy for breast cancer. BJC 25 May 2021
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