Intraoperative Radiotherapy
6-week radiotherapy time decreases to 30 minutes in breast cancer treatment
Treatment times have decreased significantly in breast cancer. Expressing that a surgical procedure is usually performed first to extract the tumor in breast cancer treatment and then radiation therapy is administered for a few weeks, Prof. Dr. Hale Başak Çağlar, Radiation Oncologist and the Director of Radiation Oncology Department at Anadolu Medical Center and Prof. Dr. Metin Çakmakçı, General Surgeon and Director of the Breast Center say “intraoperative radiotherapy is administered just after extracting the tumor during the surgery. Thus, 6-week radiotherapy is completed in only 30 to 40 minutes”.
Highlighting that radiotherapy administration time has significantly reduced compared to the past and unnecessary axillary irradiation is no longer made, Prof. Dr. Hale Başak Çağlar, Radiation Oncologist and the Director of Radiation Oncology Department at Anadolu Medical Center says “Thus, swelling of arms and lymphedema are prevented. Intraoperative radiotherapy method has great advantages for patients. Radiotherapy that must be administered postoperatively to the patients with breast conserving surgery is administered intraoperatively (during the surgery) based on this method. Thus, both the 6-week therapy is reduced to only one session and a right therapy can be administered by observing the localization of the tumor better and radiotherapy that is administered just after the operation would be more effective as it prevents proliferation of tumor cells that may be left behind. This therapy can be administered to specially selected patients via special devices.
It is important not to lower the quality of life while prolonging it
Highlighting that breast conserving methods become widespread gradually in the treatment of breast cancer, Prof. Dr. Metin Çakmakçı, General Surgeon and the Director of Breast Center says that “Follow-up methods have been developed in which we extract less number of axillary lymph nodes or sometimes by never touching the lymph nodes. This made the lymphedema problem much less likely to occur. Breast cancer is a very common disease in women. The good news is that there is a lot of information about breast cancer and various researches are being done. There have been many improvements in both diagnosis and treatment methods. Treatment options change day by day according to the type of breast cancer and personalized treatments become prominent. Breast cancer becomes nonintimidating when combining conscious behaviors such as better determining the women with a higher risk than the average, women getting to know their own breast structures better, recognizing changes in their breasts and doing protective breast scans on time with today's medical technology”.
Emphasizing that developments in radiotherapy gaining momentum and life of quality of patients is much less affected, Prof. Dr. Hale Başak Çağlar, Radiation Oncologist and the Director of the Radiation Oncology Department at Anadolu Medical Center says “We can administer radiation to a very restricted area, only to the tumor, thanks to the developed technology. Thus, the heart is not affected negatively especially in breast cancer patients and side effects are seen much less. Radiotherapy in breast cancer treatment is now focused on administering radiation in less intensity, less doses, more restricted areas and in shorter times. Because our priority is not to lower the quality of life while prolonging it. Today's radiotherapy applications offer a comfortable therapy process that will not take patients away from their daily work and social life. Patients who receive radiation therapy are no longer deal with problems such as skin burns and even enjoy the sea in the summer after therapy”.
