Special Techniques of Adjuvant Breast Carcinoma Radiotherapy

Abstract

Modern radiotherapy techniques are designed to permit reduced irradiation of healthy tissue, resulting in a diminished risk of adverse effects and shortened recovery times. Several randomized studies have demonstrated the benefits of increased dosage to the tumor bed area in combination with whole breast irradiation (WBI). Conventional WBI treatment following breast-conserving procedures, which required 5–7 weeks of daily treatments, has been reduced to 3–4 weeks when using hyperfractionated regimens. The dosage administration improves local control, albeit with poorer cosmesis. The method of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) shortens the treatment period whilst reducing the irradiated volume. APBI can be delivered using intraoperative radiation, brachytherapy, or external beam radiotherapy. Currently available data support the use of external beam partial breast irradiation in selected patients. Modern radiotherapy techniques make it possible to achieve favorable cosmesis in most patients undergoing immediate breast reconstruction surgery, and studies confirm that current methods of external beam radiation allow an acceptable coverage of target volumes both in the reconstructed breast and in the regional lymphatic nodes.

Keywords

• breast cancer
• adjuvant radiotherapy
• boost
• accelerated partial breast irradiation