Breast cancer treatment combines various therapies, including surgery, radiation therapy, anticancer drugs, hormone therapy, and molecular targeted therapy, with the goal of curing breast cancer, reducing the risk of recurrence, and improving symptoms. At the Breast Surgery Department, rather than simply providing treatment according to guidelines, we consult with patients to develop treatment plans that combine these therapies to best suit each patient, and we work with radiology, plastic surgery, palliative care teams, and local medical institutions to advance treatment. Each patient's assigned nurse also provides advice and care to reduce the physical and mental burden associated with treatment. In this way, the Breast Surgery Department aims to be a breast center that goes beyond surgery and provides comprehensive diagnosis, treatment, and care for all breast-related diseases.

Radiation therapy using SAVI after breast-conserving surgery

Radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery is usually performed as "whole breast irradiation." This method requires patients to visit the hospital five days a week (Monday to Friday) for five to six weeks, as radiation is applied to the entire breast. Although each treatment session is short, it is long-term, which can have various effects on work, daily life, and so on.

However, by using an applicator called SAVI, which is used for brachytherapy for breast cancer, it has become possible to significantly shorten the treatment period.

"Accelerated partial breast irradiation" using SAVI is a treatment method that irradiates radiation intensively over a short period of time, limited to only the area where the breast cancer was originally located (the area most likely to recur). Compared to whole breast irradiation, this method can shorten the radiation treatment period.

It was approved in Japan in June 2013 and is covered by health insurance as brachytherapy, and our hospital has been offering it since August 2023.

Indication criteria

• 40 years or older
• Tumor diameter 3cm or less
• One-off
• Early stage breast cancer with no intraductal extension, sentinel lymph node (SLN) metastasis, or distant metastasis as diagnosed preoperatively

Flow of breast-conserving therapy using SAVI at our hospital

We provide a series of treatments, from breast-conserving surgery to SAVI radiation therapy, with an 18-day hospital stay. Please contact the Breast Surgery Department for details.

1. Insert
   At our hospital, SAVI catheters are inserted intraoperatively following breast-conserving surgery using the intraoperative placement method.
2. Expansion
   After confirming the final pathology results on the permanent specimen, the SAVI applicator is replaced. The SAVI catheter is expanded to fit into the cavity left after the cancer is removed.
3. Radiation therapy
   Radiation therapy was performed twice a day for 5 days, with an interval of at least 6 hours between doses of 3.4 Gy, for a total of 34 Gy.
4. Removal
   After radiation therapy is completed, the catheter is removed and the patient is discharged the next day.