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New Breast Cancer Treatment Shown to Reduce the Need for Repeat Surgeries A breast cancer treatment developed by University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) surgeon V. Suzanne Klimberg, M.D., has been shown in a clinical trial to reduce the need for repeat surgery following lumpectomy by 86 percent. Klimberg, director of the breast cancer program at UAMS’ Arkansas Cancer Research Center, is the principal investigator of a multiphase clinical trial for the new procedure called Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)-Assisted Lumpectomy. The findings of the study were presented this week at the American College of Surgeons 91st Annual Clinical Congress in San Francisco. The RFA procedure, which sears a one-centimeter margin, or perimeter, of soft tissue following standard lumpectomy removal of a breast tumor, is intended to give the patient a cancer-free area around the site where the tumor has been removed so that a second surgery in the area around the lumpectomy and/or radiation therapy are unnecessary. Currently, about 40 percent of patients require a second surgery to remove additional malignant tissue. UAMS is the first hospital to use RFA-assisted lumpectomy to treat breast cancer. Klimberg’s recently concluded trial involved 25 breast cancer patients.
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UAMS Only Little Rock Hospital to Offer Digital Mammograms A recently released study funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has confirmed the superiority of digital mammography over film screen mammography in detecting breast cancer, particularly in women younger than 50 and in those with dense breasts. This technology is offered in Little Rock only at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS). UAMS has two digital mammography units and uses the technology almost exclusively, said Robert L. Fincher, M.D., director of breast imaging and medical director of the Arkansas Cancer Research Center (ACRC) Breast Center at UAMS. The ACRC Breast Center converted from the use of film mammography to digital four years ago. Appointments for digital mammograms can be scheduled by calling (501) 526-6100. "With digital mammograms, there are never bad or incomplete images. The images are obtained electronically and can be altered in numerous ways, even after the patient has left the breast imaging clinic. The electronically obtained images can be magnified or made darker or lighter, and the contrast can be increased or decreased to allow for more accurate readings," Fincher said. "With film, the image cannot be altered. If the initial film image is not of diagnostic quality, it has to be repeated. This exposes the patient to additional radiation." |
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