Consultants at BMI Chelsfield Park Hospital and BMI Bishops Wood Hospital will be the first in the UK to use a new single dose form of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) for early stage 1 and 2 breast cancer patients.
The treatment, Xoft Axxent Electronic Brachytherapy System, was developed by Oncotherapy Resources, a subsidiary of Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO), and is administered during surgery to remove the breast tumour, instead of through a post-surgical treatment regime where the patient comes to the hospital daily for 15-25 external beam radiation treatments.
This new service, IORT with Xoft, can, in certain selected patient groups, eliminate the need for 3-5 weeks of external beam radiation treatments. It also means the patient can return to their normal daily routines more quickly because the surgery and radiation are administered at the same time.
Speaking on the adoption of the new technology, oncoplastic and reconstructive breast surgeon, Anil Desai, who will be the first UK consultant to perform the procedure at BMI Chelsfield Park Hospital, said: “The IORT procedure with the Xoft System not only reduces costs, but also increases the accessibility of radiation treatment to the vast majority of patients with early stage breast cancer.
“Currently in the UK there are only a few centres that offer IORT, but with this new managed mobile service, more hospitals, consultants and patients will be able to access a treatment that can dramatically streamline patient pathways and improve the patient experience.”
Consultant oncologist, Dr Nihal Shah, from BMI Bishops Wood Hospital, who is delivering the treatment alongside his colleague, consultant breast surgeon, Ekambaram Babu, added: “We are both committed to working with our patients and their families to make sure we achieve superior oncologic outcomes. Many of our patients lead busy, active lives. Some travel great distances for surgical treatment. For these patients, a one-time radiation treatment is ideal and obviates the need for multiple trips associated with whole breast radiotherapy.”
