Exclusive brachytherapy as the only modality of treatment after surgery for low-risk breast cancer

Brachytherapy as the sole modality of treatment for patients treated with conservative surgery for low-risk breast cancer has been demonstrated to be as effective as whole-breast radiotherapy. A recent report published at the Internacional Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics (IJROBP 2003 55:289-293), by all the american’s scientists who are researching in partial breast irradiation for several years, refers that exclusive brachytherapy is a safe treatment with few side-effects and low complications rate and who offers (at least at short-term) results very similar to a 5.5 weeks full course of external beam radiotherapy to the whole breast. The main advantages of treatment rely on the shortening of the treatment time that is completed in 5 days instead of the 5.5 weeks usually required. Exclusive brachytherapy is, now a days, offered only to those postmenopausal women with low-risk tumors less than 2cm maximum diameter, without positive axillary nodes and whose tumor has positive hormonal receptors.

Brachytherapy applicator is inserted in the lumpectomy cavity at the same time of surgery. Three days later a CT scan is performed for dosymetry and treatment is began. Treatment is done in an out-patient basis. Once treatment is completed, applicator is removed and no further treatment is needed.

Side effects are limited to a slight erythema in the skin over the treated area.

The IMOR Foundation is the pioneering center in Europe in brachytherapy-only treatments. Treatments were initiated in 1990 and up to now more than 40 patients have been included in the study with a follow-up of more than 12 year. The results are very encouraging and no significant treatment-related side effects have been observed. Long-term results were presented in the ASTRO meeting in Lousiana (USA) last October.

· IMOR Foundation web site www.imor.org,

· Benjamin Guix MD PhD MBA home page, Director of the IMOR Foundation web page www.telefonica.net/web2/benjaminguix www.telefonica.net/web2/bguix www.telefonica.net/web2/b_guix www.telefonica.net/web2/braquiterapia www.telefonica.net/web2/brachytherapy www.telefonica.net/web2/imrt www.telefonica.net/web2/cancerprostata