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For information on centres offering intraoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer please visit the Breast Cancer Centres offering Intraoperative Radiotherapy page of our web site MHL Clinics.
For patients having a lumpectomy the standard procedure is to deliver a course of daily external radiotherapy some weeks after the operation. This is a precautionary measure, to deal with any remaining tumour tissue in the area around the operation site.
The radiotherapy is typically delivered over a period of 4-5 weeks, which is inconvenient and disruptive both for the patient and for supporting relatives. Also some degree of radiation burn to the skin is common, and this can cause considerable distress.
The radiotherapy is typically delivered over a period of 4-5 weeks, which is inconvenient and disruptive both for the patient and for supporting relatives. Also some degree of radiation burn to the skin is common, and this can cause considerable distress.
Intrabeam® intraoperative 'photon' radiotherapy
A new form of radiotherapy is becoming available at a few centres around the world, which is applied in a single dose during a lumpectomy. This can save weeks of conventional external radiotherapy later with possible radiation burn to the skin.
Intraoperative Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer
Single dose intraoperative radiotherapy
With the Intrabeam photon radiotherapy system some breast cancer patients who are having a lumpectomy can now have single day targeted intraoperative radiotherapy. This offers the least disruptive treatment method available to patients with early stage breast cancer.
After removal of the lump, the immediately adjacent area is irradiated from inside the cavity, using a ball point X-ray applicator, while the patient is still in the operating theatre. This means that radiation is delivered at the earliest possible time and directly to the tumour bed.
The radiation falls away sharply from the point of delivery and only 1cm away from the applicator the intensity drops to just 25% of the original level. This spares the surrounding breast tissue from unnecessary irradiation.
The use of Intrabeam intraoperative radiotherapy can reduce the subsequent external radiotherapy by 7-10 days or possibly even avoid it altogether, so the risk of radiation burn to the skin is greatly reduced too.
Applying for treatment
Intraoperative radiotherapy is not suitable for all breast cancers and it is necessary to join a clinical trial, but treatments are now available. Cases cannot be determined for suitability until the lumpectomy is conducted. Suitable cases (we understand approx 50%) receive intraoperative radiotherapy as part of their operation. Other patients proceed to conventional radiotherapy as usual.
Intrabeam is made by Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. For more information on visit the Carl Zeiss web site
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Specialist treatments < Breast cancer < Intraoperative radiotherapy