Expedited Breast Cancer Treatment - Brachytherapy - Mayo Clinic
Summary
TLDRJane Brandhagen, diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, opted for a novel treatment approach. Instead of traditional mastectomy or lengthy radiation therapy, she underwent a single surgery to insert a brachytherapy catheter, which delivers targeted radiation treatments in just five days. This new method, developed by Dr. Park and Dr. Hyken, reduces the waiting time for surgery and radiation, offering a more convenient and precise treatment option for patients, especially those living far from treatment centers.
Takeaways
- 😨 Jane Brandhagen was diagnosed with breast cancer after a yearly mammogram revealed a small tumor.
- 🏥 Dr. Tina Hyken from Mayo Clinic suggests that the main decision for breast cancer patients is whether to opt for a mastectomy or breast preserving surgery.
- ⏳ Jane was a good candidate for a new treatment option that could reduce her entire treatment to just a matter of days.
- 🔍 For patients with no evidence of disease in the lymph nodes and small tumors, a new outpatient procedure called brachytherapy is available.
- 🌐 The brachytherapy catheter is inserted into the lumpectomy cavity and delivers radiation treatments internally, significantly reducing the time required for treatment.
- 🕒 Standard external radiation therapy typically requires 10 treatments over five weeks, while brachytherapy can be completed in a fraction of that time.
- 🔬 Dr. Park and Dr. Hyken designed a regimen to eliminate waiting time by using a single surgery for immediate identification and treatment of cancer cells.
- 💉 Special dyes are used to identify any cancer cells that may have spread, allowing for immediate screening of lymph nodes and tissue margins.
- 🛠️ Once the all-clear is given, the surgery continues with the insertion of the brachytherapy catheter, followed by radiation treatment planning.
- 🤖 A computer-controlled robotic machine is used for brachytherapy, manipulating a radioactive seed to deliver precise doses of radiation to the target area.
- 🛡️ Brachytherapy is more precise than external radiation, sparing healthy tissue and reducing the impact on the breast, chest wall, lung, and heart tissue.
- 🌟 The expedited brachytherapy option is hoped to encourage more women to complete their recommended post-surgery radiation, especially those living far from treatment centers.
Q & A
What was Jane Brandhagen's initial reaction to her breast cancer diagnosis?
-Jane Brandhagen was shocked and terrified upon learning about her breast cancer diagnosis.
What is the main decision breast cancer patients have to make according to Dr. Tina Hyken?
-The main decision breast cancer patients have to make is whether to opt for a mastectomy, which removes the entire breast, or breast preserving surgery.
Why was Jane a good candidate for the new treatment option mentioned in the script?
-Jane was a good candidate for the new treatment option because her cancer was caught early and she had no evidence of disease in the lymph nodes.
What is brachytherapy and how does it differ from standard external radiation therapy?
-Brachytherapy is a method of delivering radiation treatments internally through a catheter placed in the lumpectomy cavity. It differs from standard external radiation therapy as it is completed in a fraction of the time, with treatments delivered over five weekdays in a matter of days instead of weeks.
How long does the standard external radiation therapy typically take to complete?
-Standard external radiation therapy usually takes about six weeks, with treatments given twice a day, approximately six hours apart, for a total of 10 treatments.
What innovation did Dr. Park and Dr. Hyken design to reduce the waiting time for brachytherapy?
-Dr. Park and Dr. Hyken designed a treatment regimen that eliminates the waiting time by using a single surgery to first identify any cancer cells with special dyes and then immediately insert the brachytherapy catheter if the pathologist gives the all-clear.
How does the brachytherapy procedure work after the catheter is inserted?
-After the catheter is inserted, the following day the radiation plan is mapped out during a simulation. The brachytherapy begins the next morning using a computer-controlled robotic machine that manipulates a radioactive seed within the implanted catheter.
What is the advantage of brachytherapy over externally delivered radiation?
-Brachytherapy is delivered more precisely to the target area without passing through healthy tissue, which means it spares the breast tissue, chest wall, lung tissue, and importantly, heart tissue for left-sided cancer patients.
How many sessions did Jane complete her brachytherapy in as part of the pilot study?
-Jane completed her brachytherapy in just three sessions.
What is the purpose of the expedited brachytherapy option?
-The expedited brachytherapy option is hoped to encourage more women to receive the full benefit of their recommended post-surgery radiation, especially those living far from a treatment center.
How long will Jane and other patients in the study be followed to verify their long-term health and survival?
-Jane and other patients in the study will be followed for five years to verify that their long-term health and survival is just as good as those receiving standard radiation procedures.
Outlines
🏥 Innovative Breast Cancer Treatment: Brachytherapy
Jane Brandhagen was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer after a mammogram revealed a small tumor. Faced with the decision of opting for a full mastectomy or breast-preserving surgery, she chose a new treatment option called brachytherapy. This outpatient procedure involves inserting a catheter into the lumpectomy cavity to deliver concentrated radiation treatments over five days, significantly reducing the time compared to standard external radiation therapy, which takes weeks. The new approach eliminates the waiting period by using a single surgery to first identify any cancer cells that may have spread and then immediately implanting the catheter. The following day, a computer-controlled robotic machine delivers the radiation through a radioactive seed within the catheter, targeting the area precisely without affecting healthy tissue. This expedited treatment is hoped to encourage more women to complete their post-surgery radiation, especially those living far from treatment centers.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Shock
💡Breast Cancer
💡Mammogram
💡Tumor
💡Mastectomy
💡Brachytherapy
💡Lumpectomy
💡Catheter
💡Outpatient Procedure
💡Robotic Machine
💡Pilot Study
Highlights
Jane Brandhagen was diagnosed with breast cancer after her yearly mammogram revealed a small tumor.
Jane wanted to treat her cancer aggressively and start her treatments as quickly as possible.
Mayo Clinic surgeon Dr. Tina Hyken discussed the main decision breast cancer patients face: mastectomy vs. breast preserving surgery.
Dr. Hyken identified Jane as a good candidate for a new treatment option due to the early detection of her cancer.
The new option could reduce Jane's entire treatment to just a matter of days.
Brachytherapy is introduced as a method to deliver follow-up radiation treatments internally and more quickly than standard external radiation therapy.
Traditionally, patients wait two to four weeks for a second surgery to implant the brachytherapy catheter.
Dr. Park and Dr. Hyken designed a treatment regimen to eliminate waiting time with a single surgery.
Special dyes are used to identify any cancer cells that may have spread, allowing immediate screening of lymph nodes.
Once the all-clear is given, the surgery continues with the insertion of the brachytherapy catheter.
The next day, the radiation plan is mapped out during a simulation, and brachytherapy begins.
A computer-controlled robotic machine is used to manipulate a radioactive seed within the implanted catheter.
Brachytherapy delivers radiation more precisely to the target area without passing through healthy tissue.
The expedited brachytherapy option is aimed at encouraging more women to receive post-surgery radiation, especially those far from treatment centers.
Standard therapy often requires long commutes, which can lead to low completion rates of radiation.
Jane completed her brachytherapy in just three sessions within five days.
Patients in the study, including Jane, will be followed for five years to verify the long-term health and survival outcomes.
The Mayo Clinic News Network reports on the innovative treatment with Dennis Dodeth.
Transcripts
it was a shock you know I was already in
my mind picking out wigs and thinking
how much longer I'd have here I was
terrified
Jane brandhagen was facing the news one
in eight women will hear she had breast
cancer her yearly mammogram had revealed
a small tumor she wanted to treat it
very aggressively and wanted to ramp up
her treatments as quickly as possible
I could have gone with a full-out double
mastectomy and then I would be done mayo
clinic surgeon dr. Tina Hyken says it's
the main decision breast cancer patients
have to make to remove the entire breast
in a mastectomy or have breast
preserving surgery because Jane's cancer
was caught early
dr. Hyken says she was a good candidate
for a new option which would also reduce
her entire treatment to just a matter of
days so for those patients who have no
evidence of disease in the lymph node
and have small tumors that are
completely removed with a lumpectomy
they leave the operating room with the
catheter in place it's an outpatient
procedure so this is a breast model with
the brachytherapy catheter device
inserted into the lumpectomy cavity
called brachytherapy the catheter
delivers the necessary follow-up
radiation treatments internally in a
fraction of the time of standard
external radiation therapy treatments
are deliver over five week days twice a
day approximately six hours apart for
total 10 treatments brachytherapy itself
is not new but patients routinely have
to wait two to four weeks for a second
surgery to implant the catheter because
that can't happen until a pathology
report comes back saying it's okay to
proceed so dr. Park and dr. Hyken
designed a treatment regimen to
eliminate the waiting time by using a
single surgery first special dyes are
injected to identify any cancer cells
that may have spread beyond the tumor
site or to the lymph nodes under the arm
that allows a pathologist to immediately
screen the lymph nodes and a safe margin
of tissue removed from around the tumor
while the patient is still under
anesthesia
once the all-clear is given the surgery
continues with a second incision to
insert the brachytherapy catheter and
expand it filling the lumpectomy cavity
the very next day the
patience radiation plan is mapped out
during a simulation the following
morning the brachytherapy begins using a
computer-controlled robotic machine
which manipulates a single radioactive
seed smaller than a grain of rice
within the implanted catheter the
reductive seed will travel through the
cable and to the patient into the
catheter and stop at different locations
that we program it to for different
amount of time and that shapes the
radiation dose
unlike externally delivered radiation
dr. Park says brachytherapy is delivered
more precisely to the target area
without passing through healthy tissue
meaning the breast tissue the chest wall
lung tissue for left side of cancer
patients importantly to heart tissue
it's hope the expedited brachytherapy
option encourages more women to receive
the full benefit of their recommended
post-surgery radiation
particularly those living far from a
treatment center so with standard
therapy they're driving a couple hundred
miles round-trip each day for three four
six weeks the actual rate of completing
the radiation may be as low as 60 or 70
percent jane says she leapt at the
chance to be part of a pilot study they
completed her brachytherapy in just
three sessions so from Monday to Friday
five days that was surgery and radiation
all in five days which i think is
amazing Jane and other patients in the
study will continue to be followed for
five years to verify that their
long-term health and survival is just as
good as those receiving standard
radiation procedures for the Mayo Clinic
News Network I'm Dennis dodeth
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