Treatment of Breast Fibroadenoma with Interstitial Laser Photocoagulation

Purpose: Hyperthermia treatments (Laser, Macrowave, Microwave, Electromagnetic force, and Ultrasonic heating system etc.) haves been used for the purpose tof destroying the focus part of tumors. Interstitial Laser Photocoagulation (ILP), originally attempted by Bown in 1983, experimentally makes use of Nd:YAG Laser in breast cancer. This study attempted to evaluate the effect of ILP for the fibroadenomas of the breast under the local anesthesia. Methods: From the physical examination findings, breast ultrasonogram, mammogram and Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of 74 unmarried women patients, diagnosed as having a fibroadenoma, which is a breast benign tumor, who took ILP treatment and could be followed up based on their medical records 62 were examined and analyzed. After checking the accurate positioning of the optical fiber in the tumor, through an ultrasonogram under the local anesthesia, the ILP treatment was conducted using a Diode Laser (Diomed Ltd.). Results: The aaverage age of the patients was 23 years, and the mean sizes of the tumors wereas 1.6 and 1.8 cm on physical examination and 1.8 cm on the ultrasonogram, respectively. There were significant decreases in the clinical and sonographic sizes following the treatment (P<0.05, P< 0.01). From a comparison of the tumor sizes before and after the ILP treatment, the tumor reduction rates from the physical examination and ultrasonogram findings were 92 and 80%, respectively, when the size of the tumors was below 1 cm, and the disappearance rates were 92% and 80%, respectively, when the size of the tumors was below 1 cm. Conclusion: Interstitial laser photocoagulation is a safe, precise, minimally invasive, and cosmetic procedure for the in situ destruction of breast fibroadenomas. (Journal of Korean Breast Cancer Society 2004;7:199-204)