Comprehensive Breast Cancer Institute (CBCI)

Scaffold-guided breast surgery clinical trial investigators Professor Owen Ung and Dr Michael Wagels.

The Comprehensive Breast Cancer Institute (CBCI) facilitates best practice care for patients through clinical care coordination, innovation, education and research.

A Queensland-first service at Metro North’s Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) is reducing radiation from every day for up to six weeks to only 30 minutes, for people with early-stage breast cancer.

The new Intra-Operative Radiation Therapy (IORT) service was introduced by CBCI as a 12-month implementation trial at STARS in 2023.

Following a rigorous evaluation, including patient-reported outcomes, the benefit of this innovation was clear, and the service was formally commenced in 2024.

This service is suitable for patients with early-stage breast cancer undergoing resection of the primary breast tumour. The IORT service delivers a single therapeutic dose to the lumpectomy bed.

The CBCI had the honour of winning a Queensland Health Award for Excellence in the Transforming Health category for the IORT service.

The scaffold-guided breast surgery clinical trial is a world first. The Chief investigators, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) Breast and Endocrine Surgeon and CBCI Director Professor Owen Ung and RBWH Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon and Clinical Director of the Herston Biofabrication Institute Dr Michael Wagels, have overseen recruitment and management of 19 women who have undergone this innovative breast reconstructive procedure.

This first trial replaced defective silicone implants with bioresorbable scaffolds. The novel procedure uses a combination of the patient’s own fat cells (called adipocytes) with a 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold to support soft tissue regeneration in the chest using the natural healing processes of the body.

Recruitment to this clinical trial has now closed. The interim report after a year of follow-up for every patient will be published soon. Clinical trials for other indications are planned.