Laser Therapy for Breast Cancers Improvements in breast imaging have resulted in breast cancers being diagnosed at earlier stages, when lesions are smaller than 1 centimeter in diameter. Treatment of such cancers with total mastectomy and extensive lymph node dissection is no longer considered appropriate. Breast conservation therapies such as lumpectomies and sentinel node biopsies are becoming more common. Stereotactic biopsy has been used for over a decade to accurately diagnose breast cancer by needle. Researchers are now using this very precise method of pinpointing lesions to visualize and then treat the breast cancer with laser energy. With the support of the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, and the Brian Piccolo Foundation, Rush Presbyterian - St. Luke’s Medical Center is conducting a pilot study of a new technique for treating these small, nonpalpable breast tumors. The procedure, Interstitial Laser Therapy (ILT), includes the following. First, the diagnosis of cancer is made from needle samples obtained from the breast tumor using either stereotactic or ultrasound guidance. On the next visit, the patient lies on the stereotactic table and, under local anesthesia with some IV sedation, the breast tumor is revisualized and then treated with laser energy delivered through a needle into its center. Prior experiments with animals, as well as patients with cancer of the liver, have shown how much energy is necessary to destroy the cancer cells completely. When temperatures at the periphery of the tumor reach 60 degrees Celsius (140 degrees Fahrenheit) all cancer cells have been destroyed. With a prototype device, doctors are able to safely and precisely deliver laser energy, as well as monitor the heated tumor for successful therapy. The laser treated, dead cancer cells become scar tissue, which is disposed of by the body naturally. To ensure tumor destruction, patients undergo radiation therapy to the breast, as is the standard, and will be closely followed for five years by PET scan, mammography, and, if necessary, needle biopsy. Researchers plan to treat more patients with small (1cm) tumors with this method followed by lumpectomy to ensure 100% tumor destruction as reported by pathology. Once researchers are confident that this can be achieved every time, small breast cancers will begin to be treated without surgical removal. It this technique is successful, it could replace lumpectomy or open surgery and its benefits to the patient would be numerous. First, the patient would experience less pain than if treated by traditional surgical methods. Second, this procedure is done on an outpatient basis, eliminating hospitalization and reducing costs significantly. Finally, a breast cancer patient treated with laser therapy will not face the emotional or physical trauma associated with invasive surgery and will experience a swifter recovery.
			Copyright © 2000 Bay Area Breast Cancer Network. All rights reserved. [Home] [We're Here] [Breast Health] [News & Views] [Voices] [Make a Difference]