ArticleBMJ open2024
Qualitative exploration of patients' experiences with Intrabeam TARGeted Intraoperative radioTherapy (TARGIT-IORT) and External-Beam RadioTherapy Treatment (EBRT) for breast cancer.
Article in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- A conceptual matrix model of patient involvement and patient expertise in medicines and medical technology research and development.Research involvement and engagement · 2026Article
- Early radiation effects on immediate breast reconstruction: A comparative analysis of 15- and 5-fraction postmastectomy radiotherapy regimens.JPRAS open · 2026Article
- A novel methodology using direct patient contact and UK national registries to collect long-term data from randomised trials: TARGIT-X - an extended follow-up study of the TARGIT-A trial of targeted intraoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer.Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2026Article
- Effect of COVID-19 NHS breast screening pause on breast cancer presentation and management: an insight into overdiagnosis.JRSM open · 2026Article
- The evolution of targeted intra operative radiotherapy in early breast cancer.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2025Review
- Impact of intraoperative radiotherapyGland surgery · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo gather a deep qualitative understanding of the perceived benefits and impacts of External-Beam RadioTherapy (EBRT) and TARGeted Intraoperative radioTherapy (TARGIT-IORT) using Intrabeam to assess how the treatments affected patient/care partner experiences during their cancer treatment and beyond. DESIGN AND
participantsA patient-led working group was established to guide study design and to help validate findings. Patients with experience of receiving EBRT or TARGIT-IORT were purposively sampled by Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. These patients had been offered both regimens as per their clinical features and eligibility. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 29 patients and care partners with lived experience of either EBRT (n=12, 5-day FAST-Forward regimen and n=3, 3-week regimen) or TARGIT-IORT (n=14). Thematic analysis was then carried out by two coders generating 11 themes related to EBRT or TARGIT-IORT.
settingSemistructured interviews were conducted virtually via Zoom during February and March 2023.
resultsA number of procedural grievances were noted among EBRT patients. EBRT was perceived as being disruptive to normal routines (work, home and travel) and caused discomfort from side effects. TARGIT-IORT was perceived by patients and care partners as the safer option and efficient with minimal if any disruptions to quality of life. The need for timely accessible information to reduce anxieties was noted in both cohorts.
conclusionsThis qualitative study found that patients perceived EBRT as being greatly disruptive to their lives. In contrast, the one-off feature of TARGIT-IORT given while they are asleep during surgery gives them the feeling of stamping out the cancer without conscious awareness. These insights can help healthcare staff and policy-makers further justify the incorporation of the treatment favoured by these patient perceptions (TARGIT-IORT) more widely in routine practice. Further research is planned to explore TARGIT-IORT in more diverse populations and in the 35 countries where it is an established treatment option.
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