A new U.K. study will compare image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) with standard imaging to determine whether titanium clips implanted during surgery can reduce side effects from breast cancer treatment.
Radiotherapy is often given to kill any remaining cancer cells after surgery, and breast cancers often recur close to the tumor bed. Researchers are investigating a way to more precisely locate the tumor bed and apply radiotherapy to a smaller amount of breast tissue. In the latest study (known as IMPORT-IGRT), physicians will mark the walls of the patients' surgical excision cavity with small titanium clips that can be seen in x-ray images.
The researchers will evaluate how effective image-guided radiotherapy is in reducing the volume of tissue treated at a high dose.
IMPORT-IGRT aims to recruit 250 women from IMPORT-HIGH, an ongoing trial to compare the effectiveness of standard radiotherapy to the whole breast with radiotherapy more precisely targeted at the tumor bed.
IMPORT-IGRT is a collaboration between the Institute of Cancer Research, the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Addenbrooke's Hospital NHS Trust, Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology, Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Torbay Oncology Unit, and Royal Preston Hospital.
