The Institut Jules Bordet treats their 1,000th Breast Cancer Patient with Mobetron
Since it was founded in 1939, the Institute Jules Bordet in Brussels has been defined as a leader and pioneer in the fight against breast cancer. From establishing Europe’s first breast clinic in 1986 to its innovative research in the sentinel lymph node technique and the drug Herceptin for HER2 positive patients, the Institute is proud of its past but always looks resolutely towards the future.
This past November, oncologists at the Institute Jules Bordet achieved yet another milestone in treating its 1000th breast cancer patient with a single dose of electron-beam IORT delivered by the IntraOp® Mobetron®. Since acquiring the Mobetron in 2009, the multidisciplinary team has emerged as a global leader in demonstrating the effectiveness of this unique modality.
We had the opportunity to connect with radiation oncologist, Catherine Phillippson, MD to learn more about their IORT experience:
What was your biggest motivation in starting to offer single treatment electron IORT to your patients?
Dr. Phillippson: “Our goal was to utilize the best technology to safely and effectively treat the smallest volume of tissue to effectively treat the cancer while optimizing healthy tissue preservation and maximizing patient comfort.”
How many breast cancer patients in your practice are currently able to be treated with single dose of electron-beam IORT?
Dr Philippson: “In the past 12 months, we treated 159 women with breast cancer.”
In your experience, what’s the most important factors to creating a successful IORT program, and what challenges did you face?
Dr Philippson: “Without a doubt, a collaborative multidisciplinary team is the key to success. Of course, the main actors are surgeons, radiation oncologists and medical physicists, but pathologists, anesthesiologists, radiologists, and nurses also have fundamental role. In the early days of our program, with limited published data at the time, we had to spend a lot of effort getting alignment with our colleagues and educating them on the advantages of this therapeutic approach. We were also concerned about integrating the mobile linear accelerator into a 70 year old hospital building with small operating rooms, but we managed to make it work.”
What is the most common feedback you get from patients after their treatment?
Dr Philippson: “For many of my patients, the first question they ask when they wake up after surgery is whether or not the electron IORT treatment was completed. They have immediate look of relief when they hear the treatment was completed successfully and they realize they will not need to return to the hospital for several weeks of follow-on treatment.”