Abstract
Cancer is not a so-called disease but is another living thing that can propagate itself in human beings. The life expectancy of breast cancer patients depends on the systemic metastasis, not on the existence of cancer in the breast. Accordingly, the aim of local treatment of breast cancer is to completely eradicate the viable cancer cells in the breast. The best approach for the patient is to find and treat the smaller invasive cancer. It can protect the life and the breast of the patient without physical damage and mental suffering. Moreover, it can reduce the mortality rate of breast cancer. The aim of MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery for breast cancer is to achieve treatment results similar to those for conventional breast-conserving surgery. The efficacy and safety of MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery for breast cancer have already been investigated in our excision study. We have been conducting an ongoing non-excision study with radiotherapy since 2005. The major inclusion criteria are no neoadjuvant drug therapy, target tumor less than 15 mm in diameter, well-demarcated mass on MRI, and no lymph node involvement. Sixty-seven evaluated cases of 80 enrolled ones have been followed up for 67 months (median). There has been no local recurrence, no distant recurrence, and no severe adverse events. Cosmetically, this series is superior to conventional breast-conserving surgery. Ultrasound will continue to contribute to detection and treatment of smaller invasive breast cancer.
