100 times targeted radiation against breast cancer
Intraoperative radiotherapy increases the chances of recovery from breast cancer and spares the surrounding tissue through the precise use of radiation during the operation / 100 patients have already been successfully treated at the Freiburg University MAround 70,000 women in Germany are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Breast cancer, also known as mammary carcinoma, is therefore the most common malignant tumor in women. Thanks to new treatment methods such as intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT), the cure rate and patients' quality of life are constantly improving. For some years now, IORT has been a method for breast-conserving treatment of breast cancer that allows radiation therapy to be targeted very precisely to the tumor bed during the operation. The special thing about it: IORT allows a high radiation dose to be delivered locally, but the surrounding organs - especially the skin - are spared thanks to the targeted use of radiation during the operation. The Breast Center at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg has been using a special mobile radiation machine from Carl Zeiss to carry out this treatment method in Freiburg since March 2015. The 100th patient has now been successfully treated with IORT at the University of Freiburg Women's Hospital in close cooperation with the Department of Radiation Oncology.
"Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) offers affected women a quick start to treatment, as the early irradiation of the tumor region takes place during the operation, directly after the tumor has been removed," says breast cancer expert Dr. Thalia Erbes, who has headed the Department of Senology (Breast Medicine) at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg since October 2015. This means that patients do not have to wait for their wounds to heal or for chemotherapy before radiotherapy can begin. "The surgical procedure is not changed by intraoperative radiation, only the duration of the anesthesia is extended by the time of the radiation. That is around 20 to 50 minutes."
The physician, who specializes in gynaecological oncology, sees even more advantages in the IORT method: "If intraoperative radiotherapy is used as the first stage of radiotherapy with follow-up radiotherapy of the entire breast, the duration of treatment can be shortened by around eight days. "Studies have shown that the method is very safe and effective, as the recurrence rate is minimal," explains Dr. Erbes. If a tumor is discovered again in a patient's breast that has already been treated conventionally, IORT can offer the chance of a second breast-conserving therapy due to the targeted radiation treatment of the tumor bed and the protection of the surrounding tissue.
"With IORT, the radiotherapist and surgeon can deliver a high dose of radiation to the tumor region in a very targeted manner," says Prof. Dr. Anca-L. Grosu, Medical Director of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg. After removal of the tumor in the mammary gland, this area is potentially at the highest risk of recurrence. The IORT radiation device, called "Intrabeam", uses short-range soft X-rays. "Because healthy organs and structures that are sensitive to radiation can be moved out of the radiation field during use and completely protected from the radiation, high-dose radiation is possible in the first place," says Prof. Grosu.
Further information on Senology (Breast Center) at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg can be found here
Further information on the prevention, treatment and aftercare of breast cancer at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg can be found here
Caption: Every radiotherapy treatment is preceded by a detailed consultation: Dr. Thalia Erbes, head of the Department of Senology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, discusses with her breast cancer patients whether intraoperative radiotherapy can be used for them.
Copyright: Medical Center - University of Freiburg/Britt Schilling
Contact:
Dr. Thalia Erbes
Medical Director Senology
Medical Director MVZ Brustzentrum Freiburg GmbH
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Uniklinik Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-31480
brustzentrum@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Prof. Dr. Anca-L. Grosu
Medical Director
Department of Radiation Oncology
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Phone: 0761 270-94610
anca.grosu@uniklinik-freiburg.de
