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HCC among first centers to participate in landmark radiation therapy study MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center is one of the first cancer centers in the country to participate in a landmark 3,000- patient National Cancer Institute breast cancer study.   The study will compare the benefits of partial breast irradiation to whole breast radiation in the treatment of early stage breast cancer.   Radiation therapy is commonly used to destroy cancer cells that remain in the breast, chest wall, or underarm area after surgery for breast cancer. Partial breast irradiation (PBI) is the practice of delivering radiation only to the tissue immediately surrounding the removed tumor, where cancer is most likely to recur, limiting radiation exposure to healthy tissue and enabling complete treatment in five days. MUSC uses MammoSite, the most widely-used form of PBI and a treatment modality used in this post-market study, since it was first approved by the FDA in 2002.     “We are always looking to provide our patients with treatment choices that will be minimally-invasive and help them get back to their lives faster, and we have seen a growth in interest in partial breast irradiation in recent years,” said Buddy Jenrette, M.D., MUSC radiation oncologist. “We believe that partial breast irradiation provides a safe and effective option for women undergoing radiation therapy following breast surgery and published research confirms this. Continued clinical research is important to determine patients most appropriate for newer therapies so patients and physicians can make the best possible decisions regarding their treatment.”   The National Cancer Institute (NCI)’s clinical trials cooperative groups, the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), and the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), issued a protocol (B-39) in February for the largest study of partial breast irradiation to date.   The NCI study will expand on existing positive study results comparing PBI to whole-breast radiation therapy. A study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2003) found that during the course of five years, PBI produces comparable results to whole-breast radiation therapy in preventing recurrence in women with early-stage breast cancer who are treated with breast-conserving therapy.   Additionally, the initiation of the NCI study will, for the first time, broaden the criteria of patients considered for PBI to include younger women.   Patients interested in more information about the study can contact MUSC's Bonita Gotbaum at 792-1661.     Friday, Jan. 20, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778, ext. 201.