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Intensity modulated radiation therapy for breast cancer: current perspectives
Milly Buwenge1, Silvia Cammelli1, Ilario Ammendolia1
1Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine - DIMES, Radiation Oncology Center, University of Bologna, S.Orsola-Malpighi Hospital.
Breast Cancer (Dove Medical Press)
|March 16, 2017
Summary
Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) may reduce side effects for breast cancer patients receiving postoperative radiation therapy (RT). Further research is needed to identify optimal candidates for this advanced RT technique.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Medical Physics
Background:
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) offers precise dose distribution for improved radiotherapy (RT) outcomes.
- Postoperative RT is a standard adjuvant therapy for conservative breast cancer (BC) treatment.
- Evaluating IMRT's efficacy in reducing side effects in BC patients is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing IMRT in breast cancer (BC) patients.
- To analyze the impact of IMRT on reducing treatment-related side effects.
- To identify potential benefits and limitations of IMRT in the context of postoperative RT for BC.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature search of the PubMed database from January 1990 to November 2016.
- Inclusion of only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English.
- Analysis of 5 RCTs encompassing 10 articles that met the selection criteria.
Main Results:
- Three studies indicated reduced acute and/or late toxicity with IMRT compared to standard RT.
- Three studies focused on selected patients with a higher risk of toxicity.
- No significant improvement in quality of life was reported across the reviewed studies.
Conclusions:
- IMRT demonstrates potential in mitigating toxicity for specific patient groups undergoing postoperative RT for breast cancer (BC).
- Further investigation is required to precisely define patient selection criteria for IMRT.
- The findings suggest IMRT as a promising option for selected BC patients to minimize adverse effects.
