Reirradiation of recurrent breast cancer with and without concurrent chemotherapy

Treatment options for loco-regional recurrent breast cancer after previous irradiation are limited. The efficacy of chemotherapy might be hampered because of impaired tissue perfusion in preirradiated tissue. Thus, mastectomy or local excision and reconstructive surgery are the preferred treatments. However, in recent years evidence accumulates that a second breast conserving approach with reirradiation as part of the treatment might be feasible and safe and, furthermore, reirradiation might be an option for palliation. Here we report on the experience of a single community centre in reirradiation of recurrent breast cancer.

The report is based on 29 patients treated with reirradiation. All data were prospectively collected. The median age was 63 years (range 35 to 82 yrs). The interval between initial diagnosis and diagnosis before start of reirradiation was 11.6 months to 295.5 months. The mean total dose (initial dose and reirradiation dose) was 106.2 Gy (range 80.4 to 126 Gy) and the mean BED3 Gy 168,5 Gy (range 130,6 to 201,6). The mean interval between initial radiotherapy and reirradiation was 92.9 months (range 8.7 to 290.1). Inoperable or incompletely resected patients were offered concurrent chemotherapy with either 5-FU or capecitabine. All patients received 3D-conformal radiotherapy with 1.6 to 2.5 Gy/fraction five times weekly. The treatment volume comprised all visible lesions or lesions detectable on CT/MRI/FDG-PET/CT or the tumour bed or recurrent tumour.

The local progression-free survival of all patients at one and two years was 81% and 63%. Patients who had no surgery of the recurrence (16/29) had local progression-free survival at one and two years of 72% and 25% with a median progression-free survival time of 17 months. Partial remission and good symptom relief was achieved in 56% (9/16) or complete response of symptoms and/or tumour in 44% (7/16). Patients who had no distant metastases and had at least an R1-resection had a local progression-free survival of 90% after 2 years. The disease-free survival after 2 years was 43% and the median disease-free survival time was 24 months. In four patients a second breast conserving operation was performed and the cosmetic results in all four patients are good to excellent. Acute side effects were mild to moderate with no grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Accordingly, no grade 3 or 4 late effects were observed so far. No grade 3 or 4 plexopathy was observed.

In this heterogeneous group of patients reirradiation of locoregional recurrences of breast cancer showed low to moderate acute toxicity. In our experience, local control rates are high and palliation is good.