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[Partial irradiation of the breast: why, how?]
J M Hannoun-Lévi1, H Marsiglia, J R Garbay
1Département de radiothérapie, centre Antoine-Lacassagne, 33, avenue de Valombrose, 06189, Nice, France. jean-michel.hannoun-levi@nice.fnclcc.fr <jean-michel.hannoun-levi@nice.fnclcc.fr>
Summary
Partial breast irradiation (PBI) offers a shorter treatment course for breast cancer patients, reducing local recurrence risk. This approach may improve quality of life and treatment cost-effectiveness for select individuals.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
Context:
- Radiation therapy is a crucial component of breast-conserving treatment.
- Traditional radiation therapy involves a 5-week schedule, posing challenges for some patients.
- Partial breast irradiation (PBI) aims to reduce treatment duration and transportation burden.
Purpose:
- To evaluate the efficacy and outcomes of partial breast irradiation (PBI) techniques.
- To explore PBI as an alternative to whole breast irradiation for selected breast cancer patients.
- To assess the potential of PBI in improving patient quality of life and treatment cost-effectiveness.
Summary:
- PBI techniques, including interstitial brachytherapy and intra-operative radiation therapy (IORT), deliver radiation over 5-8 days.
- Phase II trials show promising local control rates (0-4%) and excellent cosmetic outcomes (67-100%) with interstitial brachytherapy.
- Further phase III trials are needed to confirm PBI's equivalence to whole breast irradiation.
Impact:
- PBI could enhance patient quality of life by minimizing treatment duration and travel.
- Successful validation of PBI may lead to more cost-effective breast cancer conservative treatment options.
- PBI represents a significant advancement in optimizing radiation delivery for breast cancer management.