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TRIUMPH-T “overnight” trial

A NEW “OVERNIGHT” RADIATION TREATMENT FOR BREAST CANCER

Overview

Arizona Breast Cancer Specialists (division of Arizona Center of Cancer Care) is excited to announce that we have been selected as one of a handful of U.S. institutions to pioneer an ultra-accelerated 3 treatment regimen. We already have 9 patients enrolled in less than 1 month. Patients and breast surgeons alike have been thrilled to participate in this clinical trial.

Our practice is widely considered to be the epicenter for research in shortening the time of radiotherapy for early stage breast cancer. Women have busy lives and an active life outside of medicine. We recognized this 24 years ago, and began our search for an alternative to the usual 6 ½ weeks of external beam whole-breast irradiation. From Phase 1 to Phase 2 to the international Phase 3 randomized trial that completed in April of 2013. We have been and will be the leaders. This represents a paradigm shift in medicine.

Patients Who Participated in the Triumph-T

Overnight Trial Met the Following Criteria:

  • Female age 45 or older at diagnosis
  • Surgical treatment of the breast must have been lumpectomy. The margins of the resected specimen must be histologically free of tumor (negative surgical margins per NSABP criteria)
  • On histologic examination, the tumor must be DCIS and/or invasive breast carcinoma
  • For patients with invasive breast cancer, an axillary staging procedure must be performed [either SNB alone or axillary dissection (with a minimum of six axillary nodes removed), and the axillary node(s) must be pathologically negative]. Patients over 70 with ER+ tumors no greater than 2 cm do not require axillary evaluation, but MUST be clinically node negative on examination and all available imaging (clinical N0).
  • The T stage must be Tis, T1 or T2. If T2, the tumor must be ≤ 3.0 cm in maximum diameter
  • Estrogen receptor positive tumor and/or progesterone receptor positive tumor

3 techniques of brachytherapy are permitted on a trial:

Multiple-catheter interstitial
SAVI-brachytherapy (strut-based)
Contura balloon

Study Schema

Testimonial

Let me start with “I feel so blessed to have been a part of the Triumph-T Trial”. To me this trial is a way to give women hope. I think it is so “cool” that I was the first one to participate. My life hasn’t always been easy. My son was born with a condition that only 1 in 3 are born with in the world. I am the sole care-giver to my son and my time is precious and limited. My husband passed away in 2013 from lymphoma and watching his battle with cancer was a hard experience.

When I was diagnosed with cancer my motto was “it is going to be what it is going to be. . .take things as they come”. With all the other things I have faced in my life I didn’t want to get too excited about my cancer diagnosis. . .I didn’t want to worry over it. My Aunt previously was treated by Dr. Kuske with the five day treatment option of partial breast irradiation. She only had good things to say about Dr. Kuske and staff, so I sought care from him.

Previously, I have had two lumpectomies and with my son’s schedule being able to take time for these procedures was hard enough and I wasn’t sure how I could handle the demanding schedule for my cancer treatment. The five day option is a treatment option for five days twice a day. . .I didn’t have the time for that either. By talking with Dr. Kuske and explaining my daily commitments to my son he said “you’d be the perfect candidate for this trial study we are doing: the Triumph-T Trial. He told me I would have to wait a few weeks, but my thought was “I am willing to wait. . ..go with the flow. . .this is not going to get any worse”. My main thought was “I am the first to do this and it is nice”.

The treatment was a breeze and it was only three days; once a day! I almost feel guilty for how easy it was. It helped that Dr. Kuske is fabulous and I can tell he truly cares about his patients. His staff is phenomenal and I can’t say enough good things about them. I am truly blessed that this trial opened when it did. It is an amazing treatment and definitely a gift to someone who is limited on time. I told Dr. Kuske that “my only regret was that it was too fast and that I wouldn’t be able to see Dr. Kuske anymore”. I truly thank Dr. Kuske and his staff for giving me the ability to take care of myself, but also still have the ability to care for my son.

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