A Japanese cancer specialist said on May 22 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.
The therapy has proved its worth on other forms of cancer, including prostate and lung, Kyodo News said, but has never before been used on breast cancer.
Conventional radiotherapy uses X-rays and gamma rays that are most potent at the surface of the body, but weaken as they travel deeper into the tissue.
Heavy ion particle beams maintain their strength to a much greater depth.
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