A Japanese cancer specialist said on Wednesday she has started the world’s first clinical trial of a powerful, non-surgical, short-term radiation therapy for breast cancer.
The National Institute of Radiological Sciences has begun the trial using “heavy ion radiotherapy” which emits a pinpoint beam that can be accurately directed at malignant cells, said Kumiko Karasawa, radiation oncologist and breast cancer specialist.
The study was launched amid renewed global interest in breast cancer and its treatment after Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie revealed she had undergone a preventative double mastectomy.
Heavy ion radiotherapy has proved effective in combating other forms of cancer that have not spread, Karasawa said.
“We are able to conduct this trial because we have greater understanding of what types of breast cancer can benefit from this pinpoint treatment,” Karasawa said.
Development of medical apparatus that keeps soft breast tissue immobile for this treatment has also helped, she added.
Japan is a leader in the technology used in the treatment, and is home to three of the world’s six medical centres that have the gigantic 10-billion-yen (HK$755 million) facilities, Karasawa said.