Women aged 40 years and over who have had surgery for early stage invasive breast cancer are invited to take part in this research study, called RAPID.
Research has shown that breast conserving surgery (removing part of the breast) followed by radiation treatment is as effective as mastectomy (removing the entire breast).
Radiation treatment after surgery improves the chances of not developing further cancer in the affected breast.
In an effort to improve the convenience and the quality of life of patients who receive breast radiation, researchers have looked at shorter radiation schedules. The RAPID study compares two different schedules of radiation treatment.
Participants will be assigned to one of the two treatment schedules by a process of randomisation (i.e. treatment will be selected by chance). Neither the participant nor their doctor will be able to select the treatment. Participants will have a 50/50 chance of being randomised to either treatment.
A total of 2128 participants will participate in the study across centres in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. It is being run by the Ontario Clinical Oncology Group in Canada.
The study treatment arms are as follows:
- Whole Breast Irradiation given daily over 3-5 weeks, with an additional one week boost if required.
- 3 Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation, given twice daily over 5-8 days.
If you are interested in this study, ask your radiation oncologist if it is suitable for you. Or click here for further information.
This study has been approved by the Northern X Ethics Committee, and is currently being run at Waikato Hospital and Auckland City Hospital.
