Radiation therapy after breast augmentation or reconstruction in early or recurrent breast cancer

Fourteen patients whose augmented or reconstructed breasts were treated with radiation therapy were analyzed. Silicone gel implants were used in 13 patients and free-injected silicone in one patient. The total radiation dose ranged from 4400 to 6200 cGy using tangential photon fields or an en face electron field by megavoltage equipment. In several cases, electron boost radiation was added to the tumor bed. The majority of the patients tolerated therapy well with minimal transient skin reactions; only three patients required a treatment break secondary to moist desquamation. Three patients developed documented implant encapsulation, although the majority retained good to excellent cosmesis. In summary, when breast carcinoma arises in the augmented or reconstructed breast, conservative management (i.e., limited surgery and definitive irradiation) is feasible without compromising the therapy or the cosmetic result. Thus, conservative management should be offered as an option to patients who are interested in breast prosthesis conservation.