The Radiotherapy of the Policlinico University Hospital of Modena and the Radiotherapy of the Local Health Authority of Bologna-Bellaria Hospital were protagonists at the European Congress of Radiotherapy Oncology which took place in Glasgow, in the United Kingdom. Doctor Bruno Meduri, from Radiotherapy at the University Hospital of Modena, presented the results of an international multicenter randomized study on partial breast irradiation in the plenary hall in front of 3,000 colleagues. The study involved 35 centers at European level, and over 3300 patients (between Italy, Holland, Israel, Switzerland and Spain and of which approximately 1200 enrolled by the Radiotherapy Centers of Modena and Bologna-Bellaria Hospital) affected by early-stage breast cancer undergoing to conservative surgery and subsequent radiotherapy.
The results of the study – which to date has involved the highest number of patients in this area of care worldwide – confirmed that partial irradiation of the breast (only the surgical bed) has the same effectiveness in terms of control of disease compared to total breast irradiation (which currently represents the standard for these patients), thus offering therapy in 1 week instead of 3-5 weeks. The highly innovative objective of the study, in reducing the total number of radiotherapy sessions to just 5, guarantees a shorter treatment path for patients, with an improvement in their quality of life. Furthermore, this also allows us to optimize resources in the healthcare sector since a greater number of patients can be treated in the same period of time.
“We presented the results related to the primary objective of the study – explained the Dr. Meduri – who confirmed in the setting of patients analyzed (patients with low-risk disease characteristics), that partial breast irradiation allows to obtain the same local control as the standard treatment of total breast irradiation and we are finalizing the publication in a scientific journal prestigious international”.
The project, which was born thanks to the collaboration between the then directors of Oncological Radiotherapy of the Local Health Authority of Bologna, Dr. Giovanni Frezza and of the Policlinico University Hospital of Modena, Dr. Filippo Bertoni, as part of a joint project funded by the Emilia-Romagna Region, it had the methodological and statistical support of the UNIMORE Statistics chair, directed by Prof Roberto D’Amico.
“The success of such an ambitious project – explains the Dr. Patrizia Giacobazzi, pro-tempore director of Oncological Radiotherapy at the AOU Polyclinic of Modena – must be sought in the close collaboration with colleagues in our Region, including the Radiotherapy department of the Santa Maria Nuova Hospital in Reggio Emilia directed by Dr. Cinzia Iotti, who made an important contribution to the carrying out of the study”.
“The commitment to guaranteeing radiotherapy treatments of high scientific quality and precision, combined with the utmost attention to the humanisation of treatments, – as the Dr. Elisa D’Angelo, director of the Local Health Authority of Bologna Bellaria Hospital – represents the objective that united our companies in the project”.
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