The management of localized breast cancer has changed dramatically over the past three to four decades. Breast-conserving therapy, which involved lumpectomy followed by adjuvant irradiation, is now widely considered the standard of care in women with early-stage breast cancer. Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI), which involves focal irradiation of the lumpectomy cavity over a short p...

Multimodal treatment approaches have substantially improved the outcome of breast cancer patients in the last decades. Radiotherapy is an integral component of multimodal treatment concepts used in curative and palliative intention in numerous clinical situations from precursor lesions such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to advanced breast cancer. This review addresses current controversial...

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) provides an attractive alternative to whole breast irradiation (WBI) through normal tissue radiation exposure and reduced treatment duration. Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) is a form of APBI with the shortest time interval, as it delivers the entirety of a planned radiation course at the time of breast surgery. However, faster is not always...

BACKGROUND To investigate the efficacy and safety of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) via high-dose-rate (HDR) multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy for early-stage breast cancer. METHODS Between 2002 and 2006, 48 prospectively selected patients with early-stage breast cancer received APBI using multicatheter brachytherapy following breast-conserving surgery. Their median age ...

As most local recurrence after breast-conserving treatment occurs within 2 cm around the lumpectomy cavity, wide-volume partial breast rather than whole breast irradiation has been actively investigated with a view to decreasing radiation toxicities. Replacing external beam radiotherapy by wide-volume interstitial brachytherapy offers the advantages of more accurate treatment volume coverage an...

The standard treatment for breast cancer patients at low risk of recurrence is based on conservative surgery followed by radiation therapy delivered to the whole breast. The accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) concept, developed more than 15 years ago, could be an option in selected patients. However, the ideal patient profile for APBI is still not clearly identified. Recent reports f...

AIM To evaluate the outcome of re-irradiation and to define favourable pre-treatment characteristics. PATIENTS AND METHODS seventy-five patients with locally recurrent head and neck cancer were treated with re-irradiation, either postoperatively or as definitive treatment, with and without chemotherapy. Mean time period between first and second series of irradiation was 19 months. Mean overal...

Authors' conclusions Based on the available evidence, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Medical Advisory Panel made the following judgments about whether accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) as sole radiotherapy meets the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Technology Evaluation Center (TEC) criteria to decrease recurrence after breastconserving surgery for early stage brea...

There are currently several treatment options available to women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. These treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy. Each method of treatment has been proven to benefit most patients in some way. When treatment options are combined the chances of eliminating the cancer entirely are greatly increased. Surgery paired ...

BACKGROUND The aim of this review is the critical appraisal of the current use of volumetric modulated arc therapy for the radiation therapy management of breast cancer. Both clinical and treatment planning studies were investigated. MATERIAL AND METHODS A Pubmed/MEDLINE search of the National Library of Medicine was performed to identify VMAT and breast related articles. After a first order ...