Whittington doctor leads the way in breast cancer treatment
Dr Jayant Vaidya, a consultant oncologist at The Whittington, has been part of a team of three UK experts who have achieved a breakthrough in breast cancer treatment after 10 years of research and trials.
Under a trial called interoperative radiotherapy (TARGIT) involving 2,000 women, the trial means selected patients receive just one dose of radiation during surgery to remove breast cancer. A probe is inserted into the breast so that the exact area of the cancer can be targeted and the dose is delivered whilst the patient is under anaesthetic. This reduces anxieties to patients as it could remove the need for repeat visits for radiotherapy.
Dr Viadya says that it This has been his dream for the last 15 years. "The new treatment could mean that many more women could conserve their breasts. Scientifically, the results change the way of thinking about breast cancer and its treatment. It suggests that in selected patients the whole breast does not need to be treated and that the radiation dose and that the radiation dose can be much lower."
Oncologists hailed intra-operative radiotherapy as “the future of breast cancer treatment” after results from the TARGIT trial was presented to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago on Monday 7 June and published in the respected medical journal The Lancet.
Under a trial called interoperative radiotherapy (TARGIT) involving 2,000 women, the trial means selected patients receive just one dose of radiation during surgery to remove breast cancer. A probe is inserted into the breast so that the exact area of the cancer can be targeted and the dose is delivered whilst the patient is under anaesthetic. This reduces anxieties to patients as it could remove the need for repeat visits for radiotherapy.
Dr Viadya says that it This has been his dream for the last 15 years. "The new treatment could mean that many more women could conserve their breasts. Scientifically, the results change the way of thinking about breast cancer and its treatment. It suggests that in selected patients the whole breast does not need to be treated and that the radiation dose and that the radiation dose can be much lower."
Oncologists hailed intra-operative radiotherapy as “the future of breast cancer treatment” after results from the TARGIT trial was presented to the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conference in Chicago on Monday 7 June and published in the respected medical journal The Lancet.
Last updated25 Jun 2010