title: Three-Dimensional Breast Radiotherapy and the Elective Radiation Dose at the Sentinel Lymph Node Site in Breast Cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several trials are presently randomizing clinically node-negative breast cancer patients treated with breast-conserving therapy (BCT) to sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) or watchful waiting. We aimed to investigate the elective radiation dose at the sentinel lymph node (SLN) site while evaluating two techniques for SLN localization, in breast cancer patients treated with lumpectomy and three-dimensional (3D) whole-breast radiotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The SLN site of consecutive Tis-2N0 breast cancer patients undergoing lumpectomy and forward intensity-modulated whole-breast radiotherapy was determined by the location of the hotspot on preoperative single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) and by a surgical clip placed at the removed SLN(s) during SLNB. The radiation dose at the SLN site was subsequently determined on the postoperative radiotherapy planning CT. An elective radiation dose to the SLN site was defined as at least 95 % of the breast dose.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 42 included patients, the mean percentage of the breast dose on the SLN site was 90 % (standard deviation 26, range 7-132, median 99), with a non-significant difference between the two techniques (surgical clip or SPECT/CT) (p = 0.608). In 32/42 patients (76 %) the SLN site received an elective radiation dose.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A surgical clip placed at the removed SLN(s) during SLNB proved to be an adequate method of determining the radiation dose at the SLN site when compared with using SPECT/CT. With the use of 3D radiotherapy, the site of the SLN is treated with an elective radiation dose in the majority of patients who are treated with BCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands. lori.van.roozendaal@mumc.nl.|Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands. lori.van.roozendaal@mumc.nl.|GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands. lori.van.roozendaal@mumc.nl.
authors.forename: Lori M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: van Roozendaal
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robert-Jan
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Schipper
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Leonie H M
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Boudewijn T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Brans
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Regina G H
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Beets-Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marc B I
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Lobbes
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Center (MAASTRO Clinic), Maastricht, The Netherlands.|GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Liesbeth J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Boersma
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Oncology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.|GROW-School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marjolein L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Smidt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D057918:Fiducial Markers; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D015412:Mastectomy, Segmental; D008875:Middle Aged; D011879:Radiotherapy Dosage; D050397:Radiotherapy, Intensity-Modulated; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy / Q000295:instrumentation; D013525:Surgical Instruments; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed