According to new research, breast Cancer patients who undergo a stronger, yet shorter course of radiation respond the same as to a longer treatment course.

Five years ago, a team of researchers reported the short course of radiation treatment for breast cancer was equally effective to the longer course currently used. Oncologists were not responsive to the information and thus the researchers continued the study for five more years.

At the end of the new course of study, the results were the same. Presenting the information at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in Boston, the researcher hope oncologists will now see the benefits of the shorter radiation course in both the treatment of breast cancer and the health of the patient.

The total study was followed for 12 years and involved just over 1200 female patients. The patients presented with early stage breast cancer and were randomly treated with either the traditional 6 week course of radiation treatment or the shorter, stronger course of radiation lasting only 3 weeks.

Ten years after the radiation treatment, the patients receiving the traditional therapy (6 weeks of radiation) presented with cancer recurrence in 6.7% of the cases. The shorter course treatment patients presented with new cancer in only 6.2% of the cases.

Also presented at the meeting was the new “seed” treatment for breast cancer. This treatment focuses on the implantation of a balloon brachytherapy “seed” into the affected breast tissue. The “seed” is implanted into the exact spot where the cancerous Tumor is removed. With a Catheter in place, high doses of radiation are fed to the site of the tumor via radioactive “seeds”.

After undergoing the “seed” radiation, 2% of the women treated presented with a cancer recurrence. Traditional therapy holds  a recurrence percentage ranging from 0% to 5%. Researchers believe the best patients for the “seed” therapy are women 45 years of age and older who have a 3cm tumor or smaller.

Proton therapy, yet another new cancer treatment, delivers the patient less radiation with the same efficacy as traditional therapy.

More than 500 patients were given proton therapy for different types of cancer. This group of participants were compared with a larger, 1600 member group of cancer patients who were given the more traditional photon therapy. One year or more later, nearly 6 ½% of the proton patients reported a recurrence of cancer compared to more than 12% of the photon group.

The treatment options for cancer today are shorter, stronger and more effective. Thanks to research groups and patients willing to volunteer for years of study, researchers hope to shorten the length of cancer treatments and lessen the effect on the patient while maintaining the strength of the radiation.