A multi-centric Indian breast cancer clinical trial has appeared to show sizeable benefits of simple, cost-effective intervention prior to surgery.
Dr Caleb Harris, Surgical Oncologist at NEIGRIHMS, was a co-investigator in the landmark trial, the results of which were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
If implemented globally, it has the potential to save over 1 lakh lives every year, a NEIGRIHMS press release said today.
An upbeat Dr Harris stated, “We have been a part of this study since 2017, and offered this treatment to eligible patients. Large randomised trials are the ideal way to study innovative treatment modalities and the successful conduct of this trial will definitely pave the way for many such studies. Preventing spread of cancer cells from the tumour by using such interventions has not been investigated adequately. Local anaesthesia blocks certain cellular activities, which prevents activation of mechanisms that increase spread of cancer cells in the body. We were part of an open-label, multicentre randomised controlled trial to test the impact of infiltration of local anaesthesia prior to surgery in the area surrounding the breast tumour on disease-free survival with very encouraging results.”
Dr Nalin Mehta, Director of NEIGRIHMS, was very proud of this monumental achievement and stated that, apart from this trial, the Department of Surgical Oncology at NEIGRIHMS has been involved in many novel research projects. He encouraged all faculty members to take up research projects that would benefit the society.
This randomised controlled trial entitled ‘Effect of Peri-tumoral Infiltration of Local Anaesthetic Prior to Surgery on Survival in Early Breast Cancer’ was conceived and designed by Dr Rajendra Badwe from Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. It was conducted on 1,600 women at 11 cancer centres across India, including NEIGRIHMS, from 2011 to 2022.
An important milestone in the treatment of breast cancer, it was carried out over 11 years in 1,600 women undergoing breast cancer surgery.
The trial involved injection of a commonly used anaesthetic (painkiller) drug in the area around the tumour just before surgery. Results reveal that this simple and cheap intervention (costing approximately Rs 100 per patient) increases cure rates and survival markedly, with benefits ongoing for several years after surgery.
In comparison, far more expensive drugs (approximately Rs 10 lakh per patient) have yielded very low benefits in women with early breast cancer, the research found. Remarkably, lifespan of breast cancer patients can be prolonged considerably using this economical technique which requires no additional expertise as against other extremely expensive alternatives, the NEIGRIHMS release added.
