[Radiotherapy in breast carcinoma]

Radiotherapy plays an important role in the treatment of breast carcinoma. It becomes even more significant in the era of breast-preserving conservative surgical therapy. Similarly, screening and early diagnosis shift the therapy of breast carcinoma into the field of local therapy, which usually is a characteristic feature of radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is applied as primary treatment in primary processes or tumor bed and lymphatic drainage, as a secondary therapy in locoregional recurrences, and as a palliative therapy in metastases. It can be preoperative or postoperative--adjuvant. External radiotherapy is frequently combined with brachytherapy. The main aim is to prevent the origin of locoregional recurrences and to improve the quality of life and survival of patients. In the effort to use the potential of technology and personnel, we have introduced the isocentric half-beam technique, which makes the daily setting of patient more precise, reduces the risk of local recurrences and that of overdose in the site of the connection of irradiation fields. (Tab. 1, Fig. 2, Ref. 4.)