Update on accelerated partial-breast irradiation.
Progress in radiotherapy technology, particularly the advent of CT-guided simulation and three-dimensional conformal planning, has given the radiation oncologist the ability to precisely treat part of the breast, instead of the whole breast, using either brachytherapy or external-beam techniques. Treating such a limited area may allow the course of treatment for patients with early-stage breast cancer to be drastically shortened and could reduce toxicity to other organs. This article summarizes the rationale for accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI), techniques for performing it, and outcome to date of studies of APBI.
Taghian
Alphonse G
AG
Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston MA 02114, USA. ataghian@partners.org
Recht
Abram
A
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011880:Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D020266:Radiotherapy, Conformal / Q000379:methods; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic