Taxotere ®
Plus Radiofrequency Ablation Appears Safe and Effective in
Small Breast Cancers
According to a recent article published in the journal Radiology,
treatment with radiofrequency (RF) ablation appears to be
well tolerated and effective for small breast cancers.
Patients with breast cancer that is 2 centimeters or less
at the greatest diameter often undergo treatment with the
surgical removal of the cancer and surrounding tissue (lumpectomy)
and radiation therapy. Some patients may be treated with pre-operative
chemotherapy, the complete removal of the breast (mastectomy),
the addition of chemotherapy following surgery, and/or hormonal
therapy. Researchers are evaluating ways in which to treat
patients with small breast cancers with more non-invasive
methods than surgery to reduce the risk of infection, scarring,
pain, and to reduce medical costs.
One type of therapeutic approach that is being evaluated
in various types of cancers is percutaneous RF ablation. RF
ablation entails the use of high-energy radio waves that can
be administered through the skin using a probe, about the
size of a needle, into the tumor(s) in the breast. The surgeon
uses an imaging scan, such as an ultrasound or a computerized
tomography (CT) scan, to accurately guide the probe. The high-energy
radio waves heat the cancer cells such that they later become
coagulated and are destroyed.
Researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center recently conducted a clinical trial to evaluate RF
ablation in the treatment of patients with early breast cancer.
This trial included 20 patients who had breast cancer that
was 2 centimeters or less in diameter. Patients underwent
RF ablation, which involved placement of the probe into the
cancer for approximately 15 minutes, followed by either a
lumpectomy or a mastectomy. The cancer specimen obtained from
surgery was analyzed in the laboratory to determine if RF
ablation had killed all of the cancer cells in the specimen,
as well as an adequate margin of healthy tissue surrounding
the cancer. In all patients, RF ablation had killed all cancer
cells in the tumor, as well as a margin of healthy tissue
in the surgical specimen. One patient who had received pre-operative
chemotherapy had residual cancer found on ultrasound at the
time of RF ablation as well as mammography. However, the targeted
cancer had been successfully destroyed through RF ablation.
Treatment was well tolerated and considered safe.
The researchers concluded that RF ablation appears effective
in destroying small breast cancers, and is well tolerated.
Future clinical trials may help define the role that RF ablation
may play in the clinical setting for early breast cancer.
Patients with early breast cancer may wish to speak with their
physician about the risks and benefits of participating in
a clinical trial further evaluating RF ablation or other promising
therapeutic approaches. Two sources of information regarding
ongoing clinical trials include the National Cancer Institute
( cancer.gov) and www.cancerconsultants.com. Personalized
clinical trial searches are also performed at cancerconsultants.com.
Reference: Bruno F, Sneige N, Ross M, et al. Small ( 2-cm)
Breast Cancer Treated with US-guided Radiofrequency Ablation:
Feasibility Study 1. Radiology. 2004; 231:215-224.
References:
1. Docetaxel Combined with Trastuzumab is an Active Regimen
in HER-2 3+ Overexpressing and Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization-Positive
Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Multi-Institutional Phase II Trial.
Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2004;22:1071-1077.
2. Extra JM, Cognetti F, Chan S et al. First-line trastuzumab
(Herceptin ® plus docetaxel versus docetaxel alone in women
with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (MBC): results
from a randomized phase II trial (M77001). Breast Cancer Res
and Treat, 82: Special Issue: 26th Annual San Antonio Breast
Cancer Symposium. 2003; Abstract 217.
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