Women with early stage breast cancer
sought for new partial breast irradiation study

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Sept. 13, 2005 — Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville are participating in an international, Phase III study that will determine whether limiting radiation therapy to only the tumor site (known as partial breast irradiation) following lumpectomy, is as effective as irradiating the whole breast in the local management of early stage breast cancer.

Women in this study with early stage breast cancer will undergo a lumpectomy and then be randomly assigned to partial breast irradiation (PBI) therapy or whole breast irradiation (WBI) therapy. Three thousand women will participate in this study from approximately 150 sites in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The study is sponsored by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, two National Cancer Institute clinical trials cooperative groups.

According to radiation oncologist Dr. Laura Vallow, North Central Cancer Treatment Group and Mayo Clinic Jacksonville principal investigator, "It will be important to determine that partial breast irradiation is equivalent to whole breast irradiation before it becomes an alternative to whole breast irradiation. This study will allow us to find out whether partial breast irradiation following lumpectomy provides equivalent local tumor control and survival compared to conventional whole breast irradiation in the local management of early stage breast cancer."

Women who are assigned to the WBI group will receive radiation therapy daily on five days a week for five to seven weeks. Those assigned to the PBI group will receive radiation therapy twice a day on five days over a one to two week period for up to ten days.

Recent developments in PBI have resulted in several comparable and reproducible techniques that are safe and well tolerated by patients. PBI may also offer convenience since it is delivered over a shorter period of time.

Vallow says, "This trial will determine the best options for women who wish to undergo breast-preserving treatment, and the results will impact practice patterns for the next several decades."

Those interested in participating may call (904) 953-1040 for more information.

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Mayo Clinic is the first and largest integrated group practice in the world. The staff in Jacksonville, Fla., includes 312 physicians working in more than 40 specialties to provide diagnosis, treatment and surgery. Patients who need hospitalization are admitted to nearby St. Luke's Hospital, a 289-bed hospital operated by Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinics also are located in Rochester, Minn., and Arizona. Visit www.MayoClinic.org/news for all the news from Mayo Clinic.

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