Intraoperative Radiation Therapy Machine

With funding provided by donors through the Weekend to End Breast Cancer (WEBC), a radical new treatment for people with breast cancer, is under evaluation. In May 2007, Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) breast cancer specialists started a clinical trial that treats breast cancer patients with a one-time dose of radiation that is delivered during surgery. The procedure is called intraoperative radiation therapy and takes less than an hour. The hope with this trial is that the need for further radiation treatments after surgery, is eliminated.

“The potential benefits to patients are huge,” says lead surgeon Dr. David McCready, who also heads up the PMH Breast Cancer Program. “Treating the specific area of cancer with this kind of precision protects the skin, heart and lungs from unnecessary radiation, minimizes side effects, and saves the patient a lot of time.”

The procedure involves a new piece of equipment called an intrabeam radiotherapy machine. Using a probe attached to this machine, a single, concentrated dose of radiation is inserted directly into the affected area inside the breast during surgery. Dr. McCready says the one-time dose is equivalent to about 16 conventional radiation treatments for breast cancer, which would require on average, three weeks to administer.

The criteria for candidates is selective while it is undergoing clinical trials. This new approach to treating breast cancer was pioneered four years ago in Britain where more than 800 women are now part of an international trial. Drs. McCready and Fyles are conducting further studies to evaluate the results of using this procedure.