Breast Cancer Patients Encouraged To Enroll In Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation Clinical Trials

Current clinical trials will help determine which women require whole breast irradiation for their breast cancer treatment. Through technological advances in radiation delivery the concept of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) has rapidly emerged as a potential alternative to the traditional method.

Writing in ASBD Breast Healthcare Update, issue 4, titled Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation: Moving Forward, Robert Kuske, MD, Arizona Oncology Services, Scottsdale, Arizona, and Clinical Professor, University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, notes that "APBI refers to radiation therapy that is delivered over a much shorter period of time than the standard 5 to 6 weeks, and is delivered to only a portion of the breast. Thus, APBI may allow some patients with barriers to standard radiation therapy, such as extreme age, difficulty in finding transportation to and from a facility, or a physical handicap, to receive appropriate adjuvant radiation therapy."

To support these clinical trials, the American Society of Breast Disease strongly encourages the participation of breast cancer patients in the national study www.rtog.org/members/protocols/0413/0413.pdf.

The Society's Consensus Committee periodically authors statements on emerging areas of interest to breast specialists and their patients with the goal of clarifying issues particularly related to interdisciplinary breast healthcare. The full consensus statement and ASBD Breast Healthcare Updates are available for free download from the Society's web site at http://www.asbd.org.


About the American Society of Breast Disease

The American Society of Breast Disease is the only professional medical society to bring together all physicians and allied professionals involved in breast disease and cancer management to advocate an interdisciplinary team approach to breast healthcare. The Society advocates for improvements in breast health management. For information about the ASBD and to download ASBD Breast Healthcare Updates, visit the Society at http://www.asbd.org