Electronic Brachytherapy Effective for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is a clinically effective, faster, and easier alternative to whole breast radiation therapy following lumpectomy, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA; USA) and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian (Newport Beach, CA, USA) conducted a study involving 1,000 early-stage breast cancers in 984 patients from June 2010 to August 2017. The patients included individuals 40 years of age and older, with lymph node-negative cancer and with favorable pathology. All tumors were treated with breast-conserving surgery and IORT using the Xoft System to deliver one precise, concentrated dose of radiation to a tumor site at the time of breast-conserving lumpectomy.


Local recurrence was the primary endpoint. The results showed that at median follow-up of 36 months, there were 28 ipsilateral local recurrences, ten of which were ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and 18 invasive tumors. Four regional nodal recurrences and one distant recurrence were found, with analysis projections predicting 3.9% of patients will experience local recurrence at four years. There were no breast cancer-related deaths and 14 non-breast cancer deaths. The study was published in the October 2018 issue of Annals of Surgical Oncology.

“On average, IORT can reduce 30 days of treatment to less than 30 minutes. The benefits are obvious,” said lead author Melvin Silverstein, MD, medical director of the Hoag Breast Center. “Eliminating weeks of radiation therapy reduces emotional stress and allows patients to quickly return to their normal life. The results of this study have important implications for breast cancer patients around the world considering their treatment options.”

The Xoft (San Jose, CA, USA) Axxent electronic brachytherapy (eBx) system is based on a proprietary, miniaturized isotope-free x-ray source that delivers high dose, low energy radiation. The source is placed inside an applicator and energized to deliver a precise, prescribed dose of highly focused therapeutic radiation at the target in a minimally shielded setting, while sparing surrounding healthy tissue.

Related Links:
University of California, Los Angeles
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian
Xoft