Breast cancer patients receive proton beam therapy on the NHS in world’s first trial | breast cancer

[ad_1]

Three breast cancer patients have been given proton beam therapy for the first time in the NHS as part of a world-first trial.

The high-tech treatment targets tumors much more precisely than conventional radiotherapy and is suitable for patients with hard-to-treat growths in critical areas. The NHS has previously used proton beam therapy to treat patients with tumors in and around the brain or spinal cord.

The trial, the first of its kind worldwide, will compare proton beam therapy with standard radiotherapy for patients considered to be at higher risk of heart disease in the long term after radiation therapy.

“There is an untapped potential in proton beam therapy, which may reduce the risk of side effects after cancer treatment,” said Professor David Sebag-Montefiore, former chair of the National Institute of Cancer Research’s Clinical and Interdisciplinary Radiotherapy Research Working Group.

Kim Jones, a school nurse from Ely, is the third patient to undergo proton radiotherapy for breast cancer as part of the trial on the NHS. She was diagnosed in February after noticing some thickening of the skin and a painful tingling in her left breast.

Jones, 44, was referred to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where she underwent chemotherapy followed by a mastectomy and lymph node removal. She was later accepted into the Parable trial, and successfully completed proton beam therapy at Christie’s Hospital in Manchester last month.

Kim Jones: “A trial seemed like a great idea.” Photo: Shu Wushu

“When I was told that I had been admitted to trial, I felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to get this treatment,” Jones said. “I was told I might be a good fit to participate in the Parable trial as it could potentially benefit patients at high risk of heart complications in the long term. Since I already had a problem with my heart, the trial seemed like a great idea.”

Jones described the treatment, in which doses of high-energy charged particles from the center of atoms, called protons, are used to precisely target the cancer as “remarkable” and “very relaxing.”

Doctors participating in the trial will determine whether proton beam therapy can help deliver adequate doses of radiation therapy to the breast while simultaneously reducing radiation around the heart.

Kim Jones at Christie’s Cancer Center.

The trial will enroll 192 patients across 22 sites in the UK. Patients designated to receive proton beam therapy will be treated at Christie’s or University College London hospitals, with accommodation provided for those traveling away from home.

The trial is being led by clinicians, scientists and researchers at the University of Cambridge, the Institute of Cancer Research London (ICR) and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Judith Bliss, Director of the UK-funded Clinical Trials and Statistics Unit in Cancer Research at the Cancer Research Centre, which is running the trial, said: “Radiotherapy is a highly effective part of breast cancer treatment and helps reduce the risk of cancer returning. It has been shown to improve survival. life.

“However, effectively delivering standard radiotherapy can be challenging when a patient’s breast tissue and lymph nodes are near the heart, or they are already at high risk of heart disease.”

Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, for free every morning of the week

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements, and content funded by third parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Each year in the UK around 30,000 breast cancer patients receive radiotherapy after surgery as part of their treatment.

Radiotherapy is very effective for the vast majority of patients and the benefits outweigh any side effects. However, there can be a very small risk of it leading to heart problems later in life – less than 1% of all who are treated.

The risk of heart disease later in life due to radiation therapy may be higher than 1% for a very small group of breast cancer patients. This is usually because the breast tissue and lymph nodes that require radiotherapy are located close to the heart, because they already have heart problems, like Jones, or because they have a higher risk of developing heart disease later in life.

“Although a very small group of people are affected by a higher risk of developing heart disease later in life, it is still a serious problem,” said Professor Charlotte Coles, Professor of Clinical Oncology for Breast Cancer at the University of Cambridge.

“Standard radiotherapy to the breast is really effective for most people with very few side effects, but there is a small group of patients for whom proton beam therapy may be a better option,” said Coles, MD, consultant oncologist at Addenbrooke’s and lead investigator on the trial. .

Patients expected to have a potential lifetime risk of 2% or higher of heart problems from radiotherapy will be invited to participate. About 500 out of every 30,000 people who receive radiation therapy for breast cancer fall into this category.

Proton beam therapy has been used in other countries to treat breast cancer, but the numbers in these trials were small and no trials directly comparing proton beam therapy with standard radiotherapy have been reported.

“The UK is leading the way,” said Professor Jonathan Wadsley, national specialty lead for radiotherapy and imaging at the National Institute of Health and Care Research, which is funding the trial.

[ad_2]