Accelerated partial breast irradiation: potential roles following breast-conserving surgery.
Cancer Control
; 17(3): 191-204, 2010 Jul.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-20664517
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Multiple randomized trials comparing mastectomy to lumpectomy and whole breast irradiation (WBI) have shown equivalent survival outcomes in early-stage breast cancer. WBI requires a treatment course of several weeks, which has resulted in limited access to breast-conserving therapy in certain populations. A shorter accelerated course of partial breast irradiation (APBI) has been investigated recently.METHODS:
This article reviews the current medical literature, including randomized trials and prospective institutional studies of APBI and the current recommendations regarding the use of this emerging technique.RESULTS:
Several APBI techniques have been developed, including brachytherapy and external beam methods. The longest follow-up data are available for multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy, a technique that is not commonly used. Other methods, including balloon brachytherapy and external beam three-dimensional conformal techniques, have limited follow-up that shows similar local control rates to whole breast irradiation in highly selected patients. Guidelines for the appropriate use of APBI have been published.CONCLUSIONS:
While APBI may increase access to breast conservation therapy for some women with early-stage breast cancer, follow-up data demonstrating the efficacy of this relatively new treatment approach are limited. Therefore, strict evidence-based selection criteria should be applied when evaluating patients who may be appropriate for APBI.
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Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Radiotherapy
/
Breast Neoplasms
Type of study:
Clinical_trials
/
Guideline
Limits:
Female
/
Humans
Language:
En
Year:
2010
Type:
Article