For those diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, breast sparing surgery followed by radiation therapy is currently a better alternative to a full mastectomy. However, radiation therapy is costly and often worsens the breast deformities resulting from the surgery.

Scientists and bioengineers from the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Carnegie Mellon University, respectively, have developed an artificial polymer that may be used as an alternative to radiation therapy. The synthetic tissue filler is mixed with encapsulated chemotherapeutic drug and inserted into the breast. In animal trials, they were able to show that the chemotherapeutic has been slowly released over a period of 30 days.

"Through further research and testing, our goal is to develop this into a clinical treatment for women undergoing breast cancer surgery," said Dr. Edington who also is chief of surgery at Magee-Womens Hospital. "This treatment may help decrease the occurrences of breast deformity. With more studies under our belt, we believe this approach could eventually represent an alternative to breast radiation after surgery."

The results of the study were published at the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Further laboratory and clinical trials are being planned.

[source: UPMC News Bureau]

About the author: Ruth Schaffer is a Microbiologist by training and currently authors the Allergy and Biotechnology weblogs for Creative Weblogging, and a Asian travel weblog for b5media.. She is a mother to a bi-racial, bilingual, precocious 3-yr old.