"I believe this is a treatment that women will begin to demand because it offers everything," Dr. Harms said. "It's an effective outpatient procedure with minimal discomfort that delivers the ultimate cosmetic result: no scars and no deformity."
Ablation therapy utilizes ultrasound or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging to guide a thermal device to the site of a breast tumor. "Ultrasound is an easy guidance method. A high contrast, high resolution MRI is essential for defining the extent of the disease. This is a major revolution. We are seeing and treating breast cancer better than ever before," Dr. Harms said.
There are three types of thermal ablation:
Dr. Harms spoke about the procedures today at a Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) media briefing on women's breast health.
"A key advantage of image-guided ablation is that the physician can visualize the ideal treatment zone and effectively destroy the tumor and a margin of tissue surrounding it," Dr. Harms said.
Dr. Harms and physicians at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock have performed over 50 thermal ablations on breast cancer patients followed by traditional surgery. Serial section MR images and pathological studies of the breasts indicated that the procedure successfully destroyed all of the cancerous cells.
As a result, UAMS plans to offer thermal ablation as a treatment for solitary small tumors (1.5 centimeters or smaller--about the size of a gumball). Following the procedure, patients typically receive radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy, just as they would following surgical treatment of breast cancer.
"Within a few days or weeks the inflammation goes away. After a year, there's nothing left to see. The patient looks like she did before she developed cancer," Dr. Harms said.
According to Dr. Harms, additional tools, clinical trials and physician training are needed before thermal ablation can become more widespread.
RSNA is an association of more than 35,000 radiologists, radiation oncologists and related scientists committed to promoting excellence in radiology through education and by fostering research, with the ultimate goal of improving patient care. The Society is based in Oak Brook, Ill. ( http://www.rsna.org/media )