Norwalk Hospital opens new breast cancer radiation therapy trial

Norwalk Hospital opened a clinical trial to study the safety and effectiveness of partial breast accelerated radiation therapy for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or early-stage invasive breast cancer after lumpectomy. Norwalk Hospital is the only site in Connecticut enrolling patients in the clinical trial.

Clinical trial patients will receive the same total dose of radiation as the standard treatment only in higher doses per session because it will be delivered over just three days.

Women with DCIS or early-stage invasive breast cancer who had a lumpectomy usually receive radiation therapy to the whole breast over three weeks or partial breast irradiation over a five- to ten-day period.

In addition to fewer treatments, clinical trial patients will have partial breast radiation rather than full breast, which may preserve more healthy tissue.

The aim of the clinical trial is to determine how well patients tolerate the accelerated treatment and how effective it is at preventing cancer from recurring.

This new clinical trial for breast cancer aligns with the evolution of radiation oncology to offer patients effective treatments faster so they can get back to their lives sooner. For example, prostate cancer can now be treated in five sessions versus 45, lung cancer in three sessions versus 30 and bone metastasis in one session versus 10.

Women age 45 and older diagnosed with DCIS or early-stage invasive breast cancer measuring less than three centimeters that can be removed with lumpectomy may be eligible for the clinical trial.

Clinical trial patients will not only have access to a new treatment for breast cancer, but also the full care team and support services at Norwalk Hospital’s C. Anthony and Jean Whittingham Cancer Center.

Women who think they may be eligible or physicians referring their patients to the clinical trial can call (203) 739-7997.

Learn more about the three-day partial breast radiation therapy in women with breast cancer clinical trial.

CONTACT
Amy Forni, Manager, Public Relations
(203) 739-7478 | Amy.Forni@nuvancehealth.org

About Nuvance Health
Nuvance Health is a family of award-winning nonprofit hospitals and healthcare professionals in the Hudson Valley and western Connecticut. Nuvance Health combines highly skilled physicians, advanced facilities and technology, and compassionate caregivers dedicated to providing quality care across a variety of clinical areas, including Cardiovascular, Neurosciences, Oncology, Orthopedics, and Primary Care.

Nuvance Health has a network of convenient hospital and outpatient locations — Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital, Norwalk Hospital and Sharon Hospital in Connecticut, and Northern Dutchess Hospital, Putnam Hospital and Vassar Brothers Medical Center in New York — plus multiple primary and specialty care physician practice locations, including The Heart Center, a leading provider of cardiology care, and two urgent care offices. Non-acute care is offered through various affiliates, including the Thompson House for rehabilitation and skilled nursing services, and the Home Care organizations. For more information about Nuvance Health, visit our website. TTY: 1-800-421-1220