title: Accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy as adjuvant regimen after conserving surgery for early breast cancer: interim report of toxicity after a minimum follow up of 3 years.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Accelerated hypofractionation is an attractive approach for adjuvant whole breast radiotherapy. In this study we evaluated the adverse effects at least 3 years post an accelerated hypofractionated whole breast radiotherapy schedule.
  
  
  METHODS
  From October 2004 to March 2006, 39 consecutive patients aged over 18 years with pTis, pT1-2, pN0-1 breast adenocarcinoma who underwent conservative surgery were treated with an adjuvant accelerated hypofractionated radiotherapy schedule consisting of 34 Gy in 10 daily fractions over 2 weeks to the whole breast, followed after 1 week by an electron boost dose of 8 Gy in a single fraction to the tumour bed. Skin and lung radiation toxicity was evaluated daily during therapy, once a week for one month after radiotherapy completion, every 3 months for the first year and from then on every six months. In particular lung toxicity was investigated in terms of CT density evaluation, pulmonary functional tests, and clinical and radiological scoring. Paired t-test, Chi-square test and non-parametric Wilcoxon test were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a median follow-up of 43 months (range 36-52 months), all the patients are alive and disease-free. None of the patients showed any clinical signs of lung toxicity, no CT-lung toxicity was denoted by radiologist on CT lung images acquired about 1 year post-radiotherapy, no variation of pulmonary density evaluated in terms of normalised Hounsfield numbers was evident. Barely palpable increased density of the treated breast was noted in 9 out of 39 patients (in 2 patients this toxicity was limited to the boost area) and teleangectasia (<1/cm2) limited to the boost area was evident in 2 out of 39 patients. The compliance with the treatment was excellent (100%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The radiotherapy schedule investigated in this study (i.e 34 Gy in 3.4 Gy/fr plus boost dose of 8 Gy in single fraction) is a feasible and safe treatment and does not lead to adjunctive acute and late toxicities. A longer follow up is necessary to confirm these favourable results.
authors.affiliation: Radiotherapy Department, Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, Italy. pinnaro@ifo.it
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pinnarò
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soriani
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Landoni
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giordano
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Papale
authors.forename: Annelisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marsella
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marucci
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Arcangeli
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Strigari
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D019583:Dose Fractionation, Radiation; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000528:radiation effects; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018714:Radiotherapy, Adjuvant; D012867:Skin