NORWALK — Norwalk Hospital is the only site in Connecticut participating in a new study determining the effectiveness and safety of a condensed breast cancer treatment regimen.
The study, conducted by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, looks at the efficacy of an expedited radiation therapy treatment for women with early stage invasive breast cancer, said Dr. Pradip Pathare, of Norwalk Hospital’s Whittingham Cancer Center.
Norwalk Hospital is the sole hospital in the state which partners with and acts as a satellite of Memorial Sloan Kettering, leading to the hospital’s involvement in the study, Pathare said.
“Between two and four years ago, they came and looked at hospitals in Connecticut,” Pathare said of the partnership. “They liked what they got to see at Norwalk and the quality of work. They said we will enter into partnership with you, but we will run the radiation department to our own standards.”
Those eligible for the study must be 45 or older and been diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ or early stage invasive breast cancer. The cancerous tumor must measure less than 3 centimeters and be able to be removed with a lumpectomy, according to a hospital statement.
Typically, women with early stage breast cancer who underwent a lumpectomy receive radiation therapy to the whole breast over the course of three weeks, or partial breast treatment over a five- to 10-day period, Pathare said.
In the partial breast treatment study, patients will receive the same total dose of radiation, but in three sessions rather than between five and 10 sessions, Pathare said.
As the same amount of radiation is being used over the three days of treatment, the level of radiation in each treatment will be higher, which is the key factor the study is testing, Pathare said.
“Partial breast treatment has been around for a while, but the way it was initially being done is patients had to go in twice a day for the whole work week,” Pathare said. “The treatments were disruptive.”
Partial breast treatment allows patients to retain more of the breast and treats only the problem area rather than receiving a mastectomy, if it can be avoided.
The study, which received approval in February and began in March, was born of necessity due to the coronavirus pandemic, Pathare said.
“Last year when the pandemic struck and patients were reluctant to go into Manhattan for radiation treatment for fear of catching the virus Memorial Sloan Kettering said let’s see if we can shorten the number of treatments,” Pathare said.
A similar study was recently conducted in Florence, Italy, where a higher fraction of radiation was used in a shorter number of sessions and the results were encouraging, Pathare said.
Among Memorial Sloan Kettering and its various satellite cancer centers throughout New York, New Jersey and in Norwalk, the study has 140 participants, Pathare said. The participants aren’t exclusively from Fairfield County or even Connecticut, but anyone who attends Sloan Kettering for treatment and is willing to drive to Norwalk or another satellite hospital to participate in the study.
“It’s very attractive to the patients,” Pathare said. “They don’t have to take time off of work for more than four sessions, one is planning and three treatment, so that is so much better.”
The goal of the study is to see if the “ultra-short” treatment is well-tolerated and effective for preventing the cancer from returning, according to Sloan Kettering study description.
While the immediate results have been positive, it will take at least three years of monitoring to see if the study has truly been successful, as the main concern is long-term effects of the increased radiation doses, Pathare said.
Radiation is typically done in conjunction with a lumpectomy, as the surgery alone leads to a recurrence rate more than twice that of lumpectomy and radiation treatment recipients, Pathare said.
While the study is nearly full, he said more studies are sure to arise.
“There are so many nuances in breast cancer, it isn’t just one disease,” Pathare said. “When one study ends, we start another one. So, don’t be discouraged if you can’t get into this one.”
Women who may be eligible or physicians looking to refer a patient can call 203-739-7997 for more information.
abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
"breast" - Google News
April 20, 2021 at 05:22AM
https://ift.tt/2Q7xzV7
Norwalk Hospital only site in CT participating in novel breast cancer treatment study - Thehour.com
"breast" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ImtPYC
https://ift.tt/2Wle22m
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Norwalk Hospital only site in CT participating in novel breast cancer treatment study - Thehour.com"
Post a Comment