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Targeted radiotherapy treatment is the use of small tubes to deliver a higher dose of radiotherapy directly to the site of the tumour over a shorter period of time. Previous research shows that it is just as effective at treating early stage breast cancer as radiotherapy to the whole of the breast. The targeted treatment takes a week, it is a good option for women with early breast cancer- those who would struggle with the three to six-week schedule of traditional radiotherapy.
The analysis of quality of life data was led by Dr Rebekka Schäfer, a clinician in the department of radiation oncology at University Hospital Würzburg, Germany. It involved more than 600 women treated at 16 hospitals across Europe who all had surgery to remove an early stage tumour. Half of the women received whole breast radiotherapy while the rest received the accelerated partial breast irradiation treatment.
The treatment focuses only on the area of the breast where the tumour has been removed, It allows deliver of a higher dose of radiation to a smaller area, which means the course of treatment is shortened from three to six weeks down to one week or less and makes it easier to avoid unnecessary radiation to other parts of the body- the heart and lungs.
Researchers questioned women about their symptoms and quality of life before and after their radiotherapy treatments, and at regular intervals for up to five years after treatment and discovered that women’s quality of life was equally good in both groups and remained so over the five years.
haleplushearty.org