5-year results of accelerated partial breast irradiation using sole interstitial multicatheter brachytherapy versus whole-breast irradiation with boost after breast-conserving surgery for low-risk invasive and in-situ carcinoma of the female breast: a randomised, phase 3, non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: In a phase 3, randomised, non-inferiority trial, accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) for patients with stage 0, I, and IIA breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving treatment was compared with whole-breast irradiation. Here, we present 5-year follow-up results. METHODS: We did a phase 3, randomised, non-inferiority trial at 16 hospitals and medical centres in seven European countries. 1184 patients with low-risk invasive and ductal carcinoma in situ treated with breast-conserving surgery were centrally randomised to either whole-breast irradiation or APBI using multicatheter brachytherapy. The primary endpoint was local recurrence. Analysis was done according to treatment received. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00402519. FINDINGS: Between April 20, 2004, and July 30, 2009, 551 patients had whole-breast irradiation with tumour-bed boost and 633 patients received APBI using interstitial multicatheter brachytherapy. At 5-year follow-up, nine patients treated with APBI and five patients receiving whole-breast irradiation had a local recurrence; the cumulative incidence of local recurrence was 1.44% (95% CI 0.51-2.38) with APBI and 0.92% (0.12-1.73) with whole-breast irradiation (difference 0.52%, 95% CI -0.72 to 1.75; p=0.42). No grade 4 late side-effects were reported. The 5-year risk of grade 2-3 late side-effects to the skin was 3.2% with APBI versus 5.7% with whole-breast irradiation (p=0.08), and 5-year risk of grade 2-3 subcutaneous tissue late side-effects was 7.6% versus 6.3% (p=0.53). The risk of severe (grade 3) fibrosis at 5 years was 0.2% with whole-breast irradiation and 0% with APBI (p=0.46). INTERPRETATION: The difference between treatments was below the relevance margin of 3 percentage points. Therefore, adjuvant APBI using multicatheter brachytherapy after breast-conserving surgery in patients with early breast cancer is not inferior to adjuvant whole-breast irradiation with respect to 5-year local control, disease-free survival, and overall survival. FUNDING: German Cancer Aid.

Accelerated partial breast irradiation with interstitial implants: risk factors associated with increased local recurrence.

PURPOSE: To analyze patient, disease, and treatment-related factors regarding their impact on local control after interstitial multicatheter accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). METHODS AND MATERIALS: Between November 2000 and April 2005, 274 patients with early breast cancer were recruited for the German-Austrian APBI Phase II trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00392184). In all, 64% (175/274) of the patients received pulsed-dose-rate (PDR) brachytherapy and 36% (99/274) received high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Prescribed reference dose for HDR brachytherapy was 32 Gy in eight fractions of 4 Gy, twice daily. Prescribed reference dose in PDR brachytherapy was 49.8 Gy in 83 consecutive fractions of 0.6 Gy each hour. Total treatment time was 3 to 4 days. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 64 months (range, 9-110). The actuarial 5-year local recurrence free survival rate (5-year LRFS) was 97.7%. Comparing patients with an age <50 years (49/274) vs. ≥50 years (225/274), the 5-year LRFS resulted in 92.5% and 98.9% (exact p = 0.030; 99% confidence interval, 0.029-0.032), respectively. Antihormonal treatment (AHT) was not applied in 9% (24/274) of the study population. The 5-year LRFS was 99% and 84.9% (exact p = 0.0087; 99% confidence interval, 0.0079-0.0094) in favor of the patients who received AHT. Lobular histology (45/274) was not associated with worse local control compared with all other histologies (229/274). The 5-year LRFS rates were 97.6% and 97.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Local control at 5 years is excellent and comparable to therapeutic successes reported from corresponding whole-breast irradiation trials. Our data indicate that patients <50 years of age ought to be excluded from APBI protocols, and that patients with hormone-sensitive breast cancer should definitely receive adjuvant AHT when interstitial multicatheter APBI is performed. Lobular histology need not be an exclusion criterion for future APBI trials.

Accelerated partial breast irradiation: 5-year results of the German-Austrian multicenter phase II trial using interstitial multicatheter brachytherapy alone after breast-conserving surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of accelerated partial breast irradiation on local control, side effects, and cosmesis using multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy as the sole method for the adjuvant local treatment of patients with low-risk breast cancer. METHODS AND MATERIALS: 274 patients with low-risk breast cancer were treated on protocol. Patients were eligible for the study if the tumor size was < 3 cm, resection margins were clear by at least 2 mm, no lymph node metastases existed, age was >35 years, hormone receptors were positive, and histologic grades were 1 or 2. Of the 274 patients, 175 (64%) received pulse-dose-rate brachytherapy (D(ref) = 50 Gy). and 99 (36%) received high-dose-rate brachytherapy (D(ref) = 32.0 Gy). RESULTS: Median follow-up was 63 months (range, 9-103). Only 8 of 274 (2.9%) patients developed an ipsilateral in-breast tumor recurrence at the time of analysis. The 5-year actuarial local recurrence-free survival probability was 98%. The 5- year overall and disease-free survival probabilities of all patients were 97% and 96%, respectively. Contralateral in-breast malignancies were detected in 2 of 274 (0.7%) patients, and distant metastases occurred in 6 of 274 (2.2%). Late side effects ≥ Grade 3 (i.e., breast tissue fibrosis and telangiectasia) occurred in 1 patient (0.4%, 95%CI:0.0-2.0%) and 6 patients (2.2%, 95%CI:0.8-4.7%), respectively. Cosmetic results were good to excellent in 245 of 274 patients (90%). CONCLUSIONS: The long-term results of this prospective Phase II trial confirm that the efficacy of accelerated partial breast irradiation using multicatheter brachytherapy is comparable with that of whole breast irradiation and that late side effects are negligible.

Low-dose X-irradiation of adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Efficacy of different fractionation schedules.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Low-dose radiotherapy is widely accepted as a very effective treatment option for inflammatory symptoms associated with painful degenerative joint disorders. Radiation doses and fractionation schedules in practical use are empirical and mainly based on clinical observations. Experimental data are rare. The efficacy of low-dose X-irradiation on adjuvant induced arthritis in rats using different fractionation schemes was investigated in vivo, in order to explore whether there is a dose and fractionation dependence. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Adjuvant arthritis in female Lewis rats (n = 128) was induced by intradermal injection of heat-inactivated Mycobacterium tuberculosis on day 0. Both arthritic hind paws were sham-irradiated (group 1: days 10-14; group 2: days 15-19; group 3: days 22-26) or X-irradiated with either 5 x 1.0 Gy (group 4: days 10-14; group 6: days 15-19; group 8: days 22-26; group 10: days 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18) or 5 x 0.5 Gy (group 5: days 10-14; group 7: days 15-19; group 9: days 22-26; group 11: days 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18; group 12: days 10-14 and 22-26). The clinical parameters arthritis score (AS), hind paw volume (HPV), and body weight were determined. RESULTS: A significant decrease of the clinical arthritis parameters was observed following 5 x 0.5 Gy or 5 x 1.0 Gy during the acute maximum of the inflammatory response (days 15-19). The most pronounced treatment effect was reached after two daily fractionated series of 5 x 0.5 Gy with an early treatment onset (days 10-14) and repetition in interval (days 22-26). After the application of 5 x 1.0 Gy on days 10-14 or in a protracted scheme (days 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18), only a nonsignificant positive trend could be detected. Daily fractionated X-irradiation in the chronic phase of adjuvant arthritis (days 22-26) did not show any positive clinical effect. CONCLUSION: Low-dose radiotherapy is able to prevent a full-blown arthritic reaction if given during the florid phase of adjuvant arthritis. Two series of 5 x 0.5 Gy with an early treatment onset (days 10-14) and repetition in interval (days 22-26) were the most effective treatment schedule in this experimental study.

Inhibition of the iNOS pathway in inflammatory macrophages by low-dose X-irradiation in vitro. Is there a time dependence?

BACKGROUND: Low radiation doses (< or = 1.25 Gy), if applied 6 h before or after stimulation, are known to inhibit the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) pathway in inflammatory macrophages in vitro. We therefore investigated the time dependence and the underlying molecular mechanism of this effect, since it may be involved in the clinically observed anti-inflammatory and analgesic efficacy of low-dose radiotherapy. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Metabolic activity, nitric oxide (NO) production, iNOS- and hemoxygenase 1-(HO-1-)protein and -mRNA expression by macrophages in vitro after stimulation with LPS/IFN-gamma (0.1 microg ml(-1)/100 U ml(-1)) were investigated. Irradiation was performed at 6, 4, 2 h before and 0, 2, 4, 6 h after stimulation with doses ranging from 0.3 to 10 Gy. For each group, three independent experiments were performed over a period of 30 h with sampling intervals of 3 h. RESULTS: In stimulated macrophages, metabolic activity was not affected by radiation doses up to 10 Gy. A dose-dependent modulation of the cumulative NO production was observed with significant inhibition by low radiation doses < or = 1.25 Gy) and return to control level and even higher concentrations by higher doses (< or = 5 Gy). The degree of inhibition did not show any significant time dependence within the experimental time window used. The iNOS-mRNA expression 3-18 h following stimulation and subsequent irradiation was not affected by doses < or = 1.25 Gy. The iNOS-protein expression 6-24 h following stimulation and subsequent irradiation was reduced by doses < or = 1.25 Gy. By contrast, neither HO-1-protein nor HO-1-mRNA expression at the same time points was influenced by these low doses. CONCLUSION: The inhibitory interference of low radiation doses with the iNOS pathway in inflammatory macrophages appears to be based on radiation effects on the translational and posttranslational control mechanisms of iNOS activity. However, contrary to our working hypothesis this is not related to radiation-induced induction of HO-1 expression and thereby increased degradation of heme which is essential for iNOS activity. Thus, other posttranslational modifications such as the proteasome degradation pathway might be involved.