Effectiveness and Efficiency of Targeted Intraoperative Single Dose Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer Patients Confirmed

On August 27, 2020 Carl Zeiss Meditec reported that The use of targeted intraoperative radiotherapy (TARGIT), as a single dose – with ZEISS INTRABEAM – directly after removal of a tumor, has been confirmed as non-inferior, when compared with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) (Press release, Carl Zeiss, AUG 27, 2020, View Source [SID1234564111]). Within the accuracy of the study, the risk of a local tumor recurrence in the breast is similar and non-breast cancer death is reduced. The TARGIT-A randomized, multi-center phase 3 study involving 2,298 patients with a median patient follow-up time of 8.6 years meets the highest scientific standards.

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Globally, more than 40,000 patients have already been treated, in over 350 breast cancer centers, with the TARGIT method.

"Single dose intraoperative radiotherapy for early stage breast cancer can be a better alternative to conventional whole breast radiotherapy for most patients during primary tumor management," stated the principal investigator Professor Jayant Vaidya, Professor of Surgery and Oncology and Scientific Director at University College London, when presenting the results of the study.

"These excellent results provide real clinical justification for single intraoperative radiation in suitable patients with early breast cancer. It is now essential to develop the corresponding treatment guidelines as soon as possible," added Professor Jeffrey Tobias, Professor of Oncology at University College London and joint initiator of the TARGIT-A study.

Positive clinical study results validate TARGIT as an option in breast cancer treatment

The local, recurrence-free survival rate of women treated with single dose TARGIT is non-inferior when compared with EBRT. The mortality in the TARGIT arm was even lower because of fewer cardiovascular deaths.

"We are delighted with the positive results, as the ZEISS INTRABEAM 600 now represents an outstanding treatment alternative for many patients. We are confident that the procedure can now find its way into everyday clinical practice," said Ludwin Monz, CEO of Carl Zeiss Meditec AG.

TARGIT method underscored as an efficiency-oriented treatment

"This study reflects two decades of interdisciplinary clinical research by leading radiation oncologists, surgeons, physicists and health economists. The TARGIT-A trial has offered many breast cancer patients a treatment that is well-tolerated, effective, convenient and highly cost-efficient," summarized Professor William Small, Professor of Radiation Oncology at Loyola University, Chicago and one of the world’s leading radiation oncologists.