This month, the Nancy N. and J.C. Lewis Cancer & Research Pavilion (LCRP) campuses in Savannah and Bluffton are glowing pink for St. Joseph's/Cander's PAINT THE TOWN PINK campaign. This initiative raises vital awareness of the importance of mammography screening in breast cancer prevention and care. As a radiation oncologist, I know firsthand that early detection opens the door to effective, targeted treatment options.
Breast cancer is, unfortunately, a disease that is diagnosed frequently. About one in eight women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. While the disease is common, every breast cancer patient is unique and requires individualized care. Radiation therapy is one of several highly effective treatment options,
which may also include surgery and medical oncology modalities such as chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and/or immunotherapy. Radiation therapy is often delivered after surgery with a goal of destroying any cancer cells remaining in the breast. This drastically reduces the likelihood of recurrence. The safety and effectiveness of advanced radiation techniques allow many women who are candidates for breast conservation to avoid a mastectomy (removing the entire breast) and choose a lumpectomy (removing only the tumor) instead. Some patients may also need radiation despite having a mastectomy.
Advances in radiation therapy have also changed the nature of the treatment for many patients. It is steadily becoming easier, faster, and much more precise. Historically, patients have been treated with multi-week schedules directed at the entire breast. While treatment to the whole breast is still often needed, we can now deliver this in shorter courses, sometimes just one to three weeks. These shorter courses maintain the same effectiveness while easing the burden on the patient’s daily life. For certain patients with a favorable risk profile, we can offer partial breast radiation, wherein we target only the part of the breast from which the cancer was removed. Partial breast radiation is usually delivered over just five treatments and typically causes less fatigue and skin irritation than whole breast radiation.
The importance of early detection cannot be overstated, as cancers caught early are generally much more curable, with more personalized options available for successful treatment. It is important to note, however, that patients can do everything right, get yearly mammograms, check in with their doctor, and still have cancers diagnosed at a more advanced stage. Unfortunately some cancers are more aggressive and fast-moving by nature. If you or a loved one requires a more extensive treatment course, it is not because you did something wrong; it is simply the biology of that specific tumor. In other words, it is sometimes the luck of the draw, and no two cancers are exactly alike.
Fortunately, the treatment for more advanced stages of cancer has also improved dramatically in the past decade. As with early-stage cancers, treatment of advanced cancers involves a team approach, with doctors from multiple different specialties involved. Patients with complex cases may have their cases presented at our weekly tumor board, where surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists sit down with our radiologists and pathologists to discuss an individual patient’s case and come up with a personalized treatment plan. Genetic counselors, social workers, nurse navigators, and other support staff aid in these discussions. In an effort to continuously improve outcomes for our patients, we are proud to offer many clinical trials at the LCRP, and the members of our research team are active participants in our tumor board.
Specialists at the LCRP don’t just collaborate with each other to design your care—we also collaborate with you. Your voice is an important part of this process, and we do not move forward without having your concerns addressed and your questions answered.
Facing radiation therapy on your path to survivorship can be daunting. The entire journey demands courage from both patients and their families, but my hope is that the understanding of the advances in radiation therapy will help replace fear with confidence.
That sense of empowerment is at the heart of the PAINT THE TOWN PINK campaign and its message: take control of your health, schedule your mammogram, encourage your loved ones to do the same and help us build a stronger, healthier community.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Advances and hope in breast cancer radiation therapy | Opinion
