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Radiation-Induced Sarcoma Following Treatment of Breast Cancer
1Department of Medicine, Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center, Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Cancer Control : Journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center
|April 13, 2000
Summary
Radiation therapy for breast cancer can rarely lead to radiation-induced sarcoma (RIS), a secondary malignancy. While the risk is low, delayed diagnosis impacts prognosis, but the benefits of radiation therapy outweigh this risk.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Radiation therapy (XRT) is a common treatment for early-stage breast cancer.
- Secondary malignancies, such as radiation-induced sarcoma (RIS), can occur after XRT.
- This review critically examines RIS following breast cancer treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the occurrence and characteristics of radiation-induced sarcoma (RIS) after breast cancer treatment.
- To examine the role of radiation therapy in the development of RIS.
- To discuss the evaluation and management of RIS.
Main Methods:
- Case presentation of a patient with sarcoma post-breast cancer radiation.
- Comprehensive literature review on radiation-induced sarcoma.
- Analysis of the relationship between XRT and RIS development.
Main Results:
- RIS develops in 0.2% of breast cancer patients treated with XRT.
- Radiation's role in RIS development is established; latency averages over 10 years.
- Diagnosis is often delayed, impacting prognosis, with wide surgical excision as primary treatment.
Conclusions:
- Radiation-induced sarcoma after breast cancer treatment is rare but serious.
- Prognosis is poor, largely due to diagnostic delays.
- The benefits of XRT for breast cancer significantly outweigh the risk of RIS.