The Clínica Universidad de Navarra has developed a new partial irradiation technique to be applied to breast cancer patients treated by conservative surgery, as an alternative to conventional radiation treatment. It is the only hospital center that applies this breast brachytherapy procedure in Spain.

The technique consists in the partial irradiation of the breast thanks to the implantation of catheters in a minimally invasive way, in the same surgical act in which the tumor is removed. Subsequently, the catheters will make it possible to apply all the necessary radiation in a period of 5 days, instead of the 6 weeks of conventional radiation, and on an outpatient basis. Once the treatment is completed, the catheters are removed at enquiry, without the need for anesthesia and very easily, since they are very thin catheters (1.8 mm) and made of a flexible synthetic material. The Radiotherapy Oncology Service and the Clinic's Breast Pathology Departmentarea have collaborated in the development of this new procedure .

This brachytherapy subject is partial because only the area of the breast where the tumor was located is radiated, plus a safety margin. "It is known that in tumors treated by conservative surgery the risk of recurrence of the disease occurs mainly in that area, while it is reduced in the rest of the breast," reports Dr. Mauricio Cambeiro, of Radiation Oncology.

To benefit from the new procedure, patients must be over 40 years of age and present a single tumor focus of less than 3 cm, removed with a sufficient margin of safety and without axillary lymph node involvement. "Although there are many selection criteria, we estimate that around 50% of patients treated with conservative surgery can benefit from brachytherapy," says Dr. Natalia Rodríguez-Spiteri, of the Breast Pathology Department, area .