A new study led by doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center has found that a single high dose of targeted radiation before surgery may be enough to completely get rid of tumors in many women with early-stage, hormone-positive breast cancer.
This type of breast cancer is the most common form, making up 60% to 75% of all cases.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, could change how this cancer is treated.
Today, the usual treatment for early breast cancer involves several steps: surgery to remove the tumor, followed by weeks of radiation, and sometimes hormone therapy or chemotherapy.
Many patients also choose to have breast reconstruction surgery after their main treatments. But this new approach starts with one big dose of radiation targeted at the tumor before any other treatments, and the results are promising.
Dr. Asal Rahimi, the lead researcher, said that this new method is a big step forward. It saves patients time, reduces how much healthy tissue is exposed to radiation, and still leaves room for them to choose the kind of surgery they want.
Dr. Rahimi is a Professor of Radiation Oncology at UT Southwestern and the Medical Director of the Clinical Research Office at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In the study, 44 women with early-stage, hormone-positive breast cancer received one session of high-dose radiation before starting hormone-blocking medication.
Patients were split into three groups and given one dose of either 30, 34, or 38 gray (a unit of radiation strength). They then waited an average of about 10 months before having surgery to check for remaining cancer.
The results were impressive. In 72% of the women, doctors found no remaining cancer during surgery. This means the cancer had disappeared completely. Another 21% of women had a near-complete response, with more than 90% of the tumor gone. In total, over 90% of participants had a strong response to just one radiation session.
Interestingly, the researchers discovered that the amount of time patients waited before surgery played a major role in how well the treatment worked. The longer the wait, the more likely it was that the tumor disappeared. Dr. Rahimi explained that this delay gives the immune system time to clear out dead cancer cells after the radiation destroys them.
This new method could bring many benefits. Standard radiation treatment takes between 3 and 6.5 weeks with daily sessions. The new protocol takes just one day. Patients could also have more flexibility in scheduling their surgeries, which could help them plan around work and family.
Dr. Marilyn Leitch, a breast cancer surgeon at UT Southwestern, said this research is an exciting step toward reducing the amount of surgery, radiation, or medication that patients need. She explained that improving treatment while making life easier for patients is the goal of current breast cancer research.
If future studies confirm these results, some women with early breast cancer may not need surgery at all. For now, the research offers new hope and a simpler, faster way to treat one of the most common cancers in women.
If you care about breast cancer, please read studies about a major cause of deadly breast cancer, and this daily vitamin is critical to cancer prevention.
For more information about cancer, please see recent studies that new cancer treatment could reawaken the immune system, and results showing vitamin D can cut cancer death risk.
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