A world-first one-day radiation technique for early-stage breast cancer is set to becoming the standard of treatment in future, says its leading Canadian researcher.

Forty-four women have successfully been given the treatment as outpatients at Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre (TSRCC)  and all of them remain cancer-free up to 20 months later, Dr. Jean-Philippe Pignol, a radiation oncologist, said.

His research was published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, the official journal of the world's largest society of radiation oncologists.

The treatment, a world first, could quickly become available for women in the United States because of the fact that funding is not an issue there, Dr. Pignol told the Toronto Star.

In Canada, the process of getting approval for a new treatment is "very rigorous" and can take up to five years.

Standard radiation treatment requires three to seven weeks of radiation after surgery to remove the breast tumour and can cause exhaustion and skin burns. Women often have to travel long distances to the nearest cancer centre to get it.

With the new treatment, small beads of palladium, a radioactive material that releases very low doses of radiation over the course of two-months, are permanently implanted at the site where the tumour was removed.

The procedure is done in an outpatient setting under local anaesthesia and the patient can go home after a few hours.

Karen Todkill of Toronto received the one-day treatment in May 2004 and described it as "an amazing experience." She returned to work the next day and is still "absolutely fine," Dr. Pignol said.

Women eligible for the treatment have had surgery to remove an early-stage breast cancer tumour that has not spread to the lymph nodes. They also take the drug tamoxifen for five years after treatment.

“A breast cancer diagnosis may no longer mean that women have to put their life on hold,” says Dr. Pignol.

“Treatment schedules can be difficult for women logistically, geographically and personally. This treatment may allow women to remain active, care for their children, go to work, remain in their community and continue their normal day-to-day activities while receiving radiation treatment.”