Axillary lymph node failure in patients treated with accelerated partial breast irradiation

BACKGROUND:

Data on the risk of axillary failure (AF) after accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) are limited. In this study, the authors determined the rate of AF and regional lymph node failure (RNF) in patients who received various forms of APBI and identified factors that were associated with its occurrence.

METHODS:

In total, 534 patients with early stage breast cancer were treated at William Beaumont Hospital with APBI, including 466 patients (87%) with invasive breast cancer and 68 patients (13%) with ductal carcinoma in situ. Clinical variables (patient age, tumor location), pathologic variables (tumor size, grade, estrogen receptor status, margin status, lymph node status), and treatment‐related variables (receipt of hormone and systemic chemotherapy) were analyzed to determine which factors were associated with AF and RNF. The median length of follow‐up was 63 months (range, 1‐201 months).

RESULTS:

The 5‐year actuarial AF rate was 0.19%. Three patients (0.56%) developed RNF (all patients initially had invasive breast cancer) with a 5‐year actuarial rate of 0.37%. Two of the regional recurrences were in the supraclavicular fossa, and 1 was in the axilla. No variables were associated with AF. However, patient numbers were very small. The median survival after RNF was 0.8 years (range, 0.3‐1.7 years), and 2 of the 3 patients died of disease.

CONCLUSIONS:

The rate of AF and RNF after APBI was low and appeared to be similar to the rate observed with whole‐breast irradiation. No variables were associated with a higher rate of AF after APBI. Cancer 2012;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Outcome after ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence in patients who receive accelerated partial breast irradiation

BACKGROUND:

The objective of this study was to examine clinical outcomes and patterns of failure in patients with early stage breast cancer who developed an ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after breast‐conserving therapy (BCT) using accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI).

METHODS:

In total, 1440 patients (1449 tumors) with early stage breast cancer who underwent BCT were treated with the MammoSite device to deliver APBI (34 Gray [Gy] in 3.4‐Gy fractions). One thousand two hundred fifty‐five patients (87%) had invasive breast cancer (IBC) (median tumor size, 10 mm), and 194 patients (13%) had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) (median tumor size, 8 mm). The median follow‐up was 60 months.

RESULTS:

Fifty patients (3.5%) developed an IBTR for a 5‐year actuarial rate of 3.61% (3.65% for IBC and 3.36% for DCIS). It was determined that 36 recurrences (72%) represented new primary cancers, and 14 recurrences (28%) represented recurrences of the index lesion. Of the 32 recurrences with known histology, 78% were IBC, and 22% were DCIS. After IBTR, 28 of 38 patients (74%) underwent salvage mastectomy, and 9 of 38 patients (26%) had a second attempt at BCT. Adjuvant therapies included tamoxifen in 8 patients (16%) and systemic chemotherapy in 6 patients (12%). The 3‐year rates of disease‐free survival, cause‐specific survival, and overall survival after IBTR were 58.7%, 92.1%, and 80.5%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS:

With 5 years of follow‐up, APBI produced clinical outcomes and patterns of failure comparable to those achieved with whole breast irradiation. Patients who developed an IBTR after APBI had excellent 3‐year survival outcomes after salvage treatments. Cancer 2012. © 2012 American Cancer Society.     

Preoperative breast magnetic resonance imaging in early breast cancer

BACKGROUND:

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) of patients with early breast cancer is being investigated on a multi‐institutional protocol National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B‐39/RTOG 0413. Breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more sensitive than mammography (MG) and may aid in selection of patients appropriate for PBI.

METHODS:

Patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) routinely undergo contrast‐enhanced, bilateral breast MRI at the Cleveland Clinic. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all early‐stage breast cancer patients who had a breast MRI, MG, and surgical pathology data at our institution between June of 2005 and December of 2006. Any suspicious lesions identified on MRI were further evaluated by targeted ultrasound ± biopsy.

RESULTS:

A total of 260 patients met eligibility criteria for NSABP B‐39/RTOG 0413 by MG, physical exam, and surgical pathology. The median age was 57 years. DCIS was present in 63 patients, and invasive breast cancer was found in 197 patients. MRI identified suspicious lesions in 35 ipsilateral breasts (13%) and in 16 contralateral breasts (6%). Mammographically occult, synchronous ipsilateral foci were found by MRI in 11 patients (4.2%), and in the contralateral breast in 4 patients (1.5%). By univariate analysis, lobular histology (infiltrating lobular carcinoma [ILC]), pathologic T2, and American Joint Committee on Cancer stage II were significantly associated with additional ipsilateral disease. Of patients with ILC histology, 18% had ipsilateral secondary cancers or DCIS, compared with 3% in the remainder of histologic subtypes (P = .004). No patient older than 70 years had synchronous cancers or DCIS detected by MRI.

CONCLUSIONS:

Breast MRI identified synchronous mammographically occult foci in 5.8% of early breast cancer patients who would otherwise be candidates for APBI. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.     

Current status of accelerated partial breast irradiation

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is a radiotherapy method used in breast-conserving therapy. In APBI, the tumor bed is topically irradiated over a short period after breast-conserving surgery. The fundamental concept underlying APBI is that more than 70% of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence occurs in the neighborhood of the original tumor, and that hypofractionated radiotherapy can be applied safely when the irradiated volume is small enough. It is expected to reduce the time and cost required for conventional whole breast irradiation while maintaining equivalent local control. Several techniques including multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy, intracavitary brachytherapy, intraoperative radiation therapy, and 3D conformal external beam radiation therapy have been proposed, and each of them has its own advantages and drawbacks. Although APBI is increasingly used in the United States and Europe, and the short-term results are promising, its equivalence with whole breast radiation therapy is not fully established. In addition, because the average breast size in Japan is considerably smaller than in the West world, the application of APBI to Japanese patients is technically more challenging. At this point, APBI is still an investigational treatment in Japan, and the optimal method of radiation delivery as well as its long-term efficacy and safety should be clarified in clinical trials.     

Accelerated partial breast irradiation using TARGIT: the pros,cons and the need for long-term results

Evaluation of: Vaidya JS, Joseph DJ, Tobias JS et al. Targeted intraoperative radiotherapy versus whole breast radiotherapy for breast cancer (TARGIT-A trial): an international, prospective, randomised, non-inferiority Phase 3 trial. Lancet 376(9735), 91–102 (2010).

The Targeted Intraoperative Radiotherapy A (TARGIT-A) trial comparing accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) using targeted intraoperative radiotherapy (TARGIT) versus whole-breast irradiation in early-stage breast cancer reports noninferiority of local failure rates at 4-year follow-up. These promising early results will be followed closely in coming years by results from additional randomized clinical trials comparing whole-breast irradiation with APBI. Validation of APBI by these trials as a safe and effective treatment for a select group of early-stage breast cancers will usher in a new era and a welcome advance in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. APBI has the potential to significantly decrease treatment time and cost, allow patients not previously able to undergo breast-conserving therapy given limited access to radiation facilities to undergo breast-conserving therapy, and decrease morbidity, all while maintaining adequate local control rates. However, caution and collection of further follow-up data must be advised before implementing APBI as a standard of care and before using the relatively untested technique of TARGIT as a means of delivering APBI.     

Ductal carcinoma in situ treated with breast-conserving surgery and accelerated partial breast irradiation: comparison of the Mammosite registry trial with intergroup study E5194

BACKGROUND:

The purpose of this study was to determine the ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) patients treated in the American Society of Breast Surgeons MammoSite Breast Brachytherapy Registry Trial who met the criteria for E5194 treated with local excision and adjuvant accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI).

METHODS:

A total of 194 patients with DCIS were treated between 2002 and 2004 in the Mammosite registry trial; of these, 70 patients met the enrollment criteria for E5194: 1) low to intermediate grade (LIG)—pathological size >0.3 but <2.5 cm and margins ≥3 mm (n = 41) or 2) high grade (HG)—pathological size <1 cm and margins ≥3 mm (n = 29). All patients were treated with lumpectomy followed by adjuvant APBI using MammoSite. Median follow‐up was 52.7 months (range, 0‐88.4). SAS (version 8.2) was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS:

In the LIG cohort, the 5‐year IBTR was 0%, compared with 6.1% at 5 years in E5194. In the HG cohort, the 5‐year IBTR was 5.3%, compared with 15.3% at 5 years in E5194. The overall 5‐year IBTR was 2%, and there were no cases of elsewhere or regional failures in the entire cohort. The 5‐year contralateral breast event rate was 0% and 5.6% in LIG and HG patients, respectively (compared with 3.5% and 4.2%, respectively, in E5194).

CONCLUSIONS:

This study found that patients who met the criteria of E5194 treated with APBI had extremely low rates of recurrence (0% vs 6.1% in the LIG cohort and 5.3% vs 15.3% in the HG cohort). Cancer 2011. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Meta-analysis of tumour burden in pre-operative axillary ultrasound positive and negative breast cancer patients

Purpose

Radiotherapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer patients has similar survival benefits with whole breast RT (WBRT) or accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). However, the impact of RT type and side-effects severity on change in quality of life (QOL) is unknown. We examined changes in RT side-effects severity and QOL by RT type.

Methods

We analyzed data from a cohort of 285 newly diagnosed early-stage breast cancer patients with tumor size ≤3.0 cm and lymph node-negative disease. Patients (93 [32.6%] stage 0; 49 [17.2%] non-white; mean age = 59.3 years) completed four interviews (6 weeks, 6, 12, and 24 months) after definitive surgical treatment. We measured severity of RT side effects, fatigue and skin irritation, using a 5-point scale (1 “not at all” to 5 “all the time”) and measured QOL using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) and RAND 36-item Health Survey Vitality subscale. Repeated-measures analysis of covariance of each outcome controlled for demographic, clinical/treatment, and psychosocial factors.

Results

Patients initiated RT by 6 months (113 received APBI; 172 received WBRT) and completed RT by 12 months. Patients receiving WBRT (vs. APBI) reported greater increase in fatigue and skin irritation severity from 6-week to 6-month interviews (each P < 0.001). Improvement in neither total FACT-B nor Vitality differed significantly by RT type over 2-year follow-up.

Conclusions

Findings suggest that early-stage breast cancer patients can benefit from less-severe, short-term side effects of APBI with no differential impact on QOL change within 2-year follow-up.

     

Trends in the use of implantable accelerated partial breast irradiation therapy for early stage breast cancer in the United States

BACKGROUND:

In 2002, the US Food and Drug Administration approved an implantable balloon catheter that delivers accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) after breast‐conserving surgery (BCS). The objective of the current study was to determine the use of implantable APBI (IAPBI) in the United States and factors associated with IAPBI use.

METHODS:

By using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database, the authors conducted a retrospective analysis of patients who received whole‐breast radiotherapy (WBRT) or IAPBI after BCS for ductal carcinoma in situ, AJCC stage I, or stage II breast cancer from 2000 to 2007. WBRT and IAPBI rates were determined across time and demographic and tumor factors using chi‐square tests and Cochran‐Armitage tests for trend for the unadjusted analyses.

RESULTS:

A total of 127,257 patients who met inclusion criteria were identified. Over the study period, the proportion of patients receiving IAPBI increased by 1600% (from 0.4% in 2000 to 6.8% in 2007; P <.001). This trend remained significant when using logistic regression (odds ratio, 20.3; 95% confidence interval, 15.5‐26.6). The increase in IAPBI use was statistically significant across all stage and age categories >40 years (P <.001). The use of IAPBI was most notable in older women (ages 70‐79 years), with a >2100% increase in use noted during the study period (0.4% in 2000 vs 9.0% in 2007; P <.001). The authors also found significant variation in IAPBI use by region.

CONCLUSIONS:

IAPBI use has markedly increased since 2000, particularly in the elderly population. The rapid and widespread adoption of IAPBI is concerning, because large multicenter randomized controlled trials have not yet demonstrated the long‐term effectiveness of IAPBI compared with WBRT. Cancer 2011. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Accelerated partial breast irradiation:advances and controversies

The management of localized breast cancer has changed dramatically over the past three to four decades. Breast-conserving therapy, which involved lumpectomy followed by adjuvant irradiation, is now widely considered the standard of care in women with early-stage breast cancer. Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI), which involves focal irradiation of the lumpectomy cavity over a short period of time, has developed over the past two decades as an alternative to whole breast irradiation (WBI). Multiple APBI modalities have been developed including brachytherapy, external beam irradiation, and intraoperative irradiation. These new techniques have provided early-stage breast can-cer patients with shorter treatment duration and more focused irradiation, delivering very high biological doses to the region at a high risk of failures over a much shorter treatment course as compared with conventional radiotherapy. However, the advantages of APBI over conventional radiotherapy are controversial, including a higher risk of compli-cations reported in retrospective literature and shorter follow-up duration in the intraoperative APBI trials. Neverthe-less, APBI presents a valuable alternative to WBI for a selected population of women with early-stage breast cancer.     

Accelerated partial breast irradiation using interstitial high dose rate 192iridium brachytherapy: Early Australian experience and review of the literature

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is an evolving new technique of adjuvant irradiation in selected women with early‐stage breast cancer. We developed a pilot programme of APBI in 2000 and report end results in seven patients followed for a mean of 42.7 months (range 29–55 months). Good to excellent cosmesis and no loco‐regional relapse or systemic metastases have occurred. The literature related to APBI is reviewed.     

Five‐year outcome of patients classified using the American Society for Radiation Oncology consensus statement guidelines for the application of accelerated partial breast irradiation

BACKGROUND:

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) consensus statement (CS) for the application of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) was applied to patients who were treated with this technique on the American Society of Breast Surgeons MammoSite Registry Trial to determine potential differences in clinical outcome based on classification group.

METHODS:

Patients were classified based on the CS groups of “suitable,” “cautionary,” and “unsuitable.” Rates of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR), regional lymph node failure, distant metastases, disease‐free survival, cause‐specific survival, and overall survival were assessed.

RESULTS:

Of the 1449 cases who were treated, 1025 patients (71%) could be classified according to the CS groupings, including 419 patients (41%) who fit the “suitable” criteria, 430 patients (42%) who fit the “cautionary” criteria, and 176 patients (17%) who fit the “unsuitable” criteria. At a median follow‐up of 53.5 months, the 5‐year actuarial rates of IBTR for the “suitable,” “cautionary,” and “unsuitable” groups were 2.59%, 5.43%, and 5.28%, respectively (P = .1884). Univariate analysis of factors potentially associated with IBTR indicated that negative estrogen receptor status was the only variable associated with IBTR among patients with invasive breast cancer (odds ratio [OR], 4.01; P = .0003). Larger tumor size was associated with a greater risk of distant metastasis (OR, 3.05; P = .0001). Among patients with ductal carcinoma in situ, only age <50 years and close‐positive margins were associated with IBTR (OR, 1.12 [P = .0079] and OR, 7.81 [P = .0131], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

The ASTRO CS groupings did not differentiate a subset of patients with a significantly worse rate of IBTR when they were treated with the MammoSite breast brachytherapy catheter to deliver APBI. Cancer 2010. © 2010 American Cancer Society.     

Accelerated partial breast irradiation: consensus statement of 3 German Oncology societies

BACKGROUND: Breast-conserving surgery followed by whole-breast radiotherapy (WBRT) has become the standard treatment for the majority of patients with early breast cancer. Whereas the indications for systemic adjuvant treatment have continuously expanded, there is a tendency to restrict postoperative radiotherapy to accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) instead of WBRT. METHODS: The different techniques of APBI are described and their respective advantages or potential drawbacks outlined. Moreover, the results described in the literature are briefly reviewed as a basis for the consensus statements and recommendations of the German Society of Radiation Oncology, the German Society of Senology, and the Working Group for Gynecological Oncology of the German Cancer Society. RESULTS: The methods mainly used for APBI are: interstitial radiotherapy with multicatheter technique, intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) using either electrons produced by linear accelerators or 50 kV x-rays (Intrabeam), the balloon-catheter technique (MammoSite), or 3D conformal external beam radiotherapy. These techniques have marked differences in dose distribution and homogeneity. The published range of local recurrence rates varies between 0% to 37%, the median follow-up from 8 to 72 months. CONCLUSIONS: To date, follow-up times mostly do not yet permit a definite judgment concerning the long-term effectiveness and side effects of APBI. The relevant societies in Germany support randomized clinical studies comparing APBI with WBRT in a well-defined subset of low-risk patients. However, the authors expressly discourage the routine use of APBI outside clinical trials. Until definite results show that APBI neither impairs therapeutic outcome nor cosmetic results, WBRT remains the gold standard in the treatment of early breast cancer.     

Phase II trial of brachytherapy alone after lumpectomy for select breast cancer: toxicity analysis of RTOG 95-17

PURPOSE: Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) can be delivered with brachytherapy within 4-5 days compared with 5-6 weeks for conventional whole breast external beam radiotherapy. Radiation Therapy Oncology Group 95-17 is the first prospective phase I-II cooperative group trial of APBI alone after lumpectomy in select patients with breast cancer. The toxicity rates are reported for low-dose-rate (LDR) and high-dose-rate (HDR) APBI on this trial. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The inclusion criteria for this study included invasive nonlobular tumors < or =3 cm after lumpectomy with negative surgical margins and axillary dissection with zero to three positive axillary nodes without extracapsular extension. The patients were treated with either LDR APBI (45 Gy in 3.5-5 days) or HDR APBI (34 Gy in 10 twice-daily fractions within 5 days). Chemotherapy (> or =2 weeks after APBI) and/or tamoxifen could be given at the discretion of the treating physicians. RESULTS: Between August 1997 and March 2000, 100 women were enrolled in this study, and 99 were evaluated. Of the 99 women, 33 were treated with LDR and 66 with HDR APBI. The median follow-up for all patients was 2.7 years (range, 0.6-4.4 years) and was 2.9 years for LDR and 2.7 years for HDR patients. Toxicities attributed to APBI included erythema, edema, tenderness, pain, and infection. Of the 66 patients treated with HDR APBI, 2 (3%) had Grade 3 or 4 toxicity. Of the 33 patients treated with LDR, 3 (9%) had Grade 3 or 4 toxicity during brachytherapy. Late toxicities included skin thickening, fibrosis, breast tenderness, and telangiectasias. No patient experienced late Grade 4 toxicity; the rate of Grade 3 toxicity was 18% for the LDR and 4% for the HDR groups. CONCLUSION: Acute and late toxicity for this invasive breast radiation technique was modest and acceptable. Patients receiving chemotherapy, a nonprotocol therapy, had a greater rate of Grade 3 toxicity. The study design did not allow for this to be tested statistically.     

早期乳腺癌保乳术后加速部分乳腺放疗相关研究进展

早期乳腺癌保乳术后全乳放疗是目前标准的治疗方式,可有效降低复发率。由于大多数复发发生在肿瘤切除腔的附近,加速部分乳腺照射(APBI)作为一种只针对原发病灶周围有限体积的组织进行大分割照射的特殊放疗方式,引起了越来越多的关注。近年来,多项前瞻性的随机对照研究证实了其安全性及有效性,对特定的低危保乳术后患者是可行的选择。与全乳放疗相比,APBI缩短了治疗时间,降低了治疗成本,改善了美容效果。同时越来越多的APBI治疗技术被开发出来,增强了患者的可及性,对于部分早期乳腺癌保乳术后患者而言有其独特的优势。尽管如此,APBI技术在疗效及不良反应上存在不同,需区别看待。本文主要就APBI的各种治疗技术、国内外研究进展以及适用人群进行综述,提出尚待解决的问题,展望其发展前景,为临床应用提供参考。     

Accelerated partial breast irradiation using intensity modulated radiotherapy versus whole breast irradiation: Health-related quality of life final analysis from the Florence phase 3 trial

BackgroundAccelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) represents a valid option for selected early breast cancer (BC). We recently published the 5-year results of the APBI-IMRT-Florence phase 3 randomised trial (NCT02104895), showing a very low rate of disease failure, with acute and early–late toxicity in favour of APBI. We present the early and 2-year follow-up health-related quality of life (HRQoL) results.MethodsEligible patients were women aged more than 40 years with early BC suitable for breast-conserving surgery. APBI consisted of 30 Gy in five fractions delivered with IMRT technique. Standard whole breast irradiation (WBI) consisted of 50 Gy in 25 fractions plus a 10 Gy in five fractions boost on tumour bed. A total of 520 patients were enrolled in the phase 3 trial. Overall, 205 patients (105 APBI and 100 WBI) fully completed all the given questionnaires and were therefore included in the present analysis. As HRQoL assessment, patients were asked to complete the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30, and the BR23 questionnaires at the beginning (T0), at the end (T1) and after 2 years from radiation (T2).FindingsNo significant difference between the two arms at QLQ-C30 and BR23 scores emerged at T0. Global health status (p = 0.0001), and most scores of the functional and symptom scales of QLQ-C30 at T1 showed significant differences in favour of the APBI arm. Concerning the BR23 functional and symptom scales, the body image perception, future perspective and breast and arm symptoms were significantly better in the APBI group. Similar significant results emerged at T2: significant differences in favour of APBI emerged for GHS (p = 0.0001), and most functional and symptom QLQ-C30 scales. According to QLQ-BR23 module, among the functional scales, the body image perception and the future perspective were significantly better in the APBI group (p = 0.0001), whereas among the symptom scales significant difference emerged by breast and arm symptoms with better outcomes in APBI arm (p < 0.01).InterpretationEarly BC treated with APBI showed an improved short-term, and 2-year follow-up HRQoL outcome as compared with WBI. Early BC treated with APBI showed an improved short-term, and 2-year follow-up HRQoL outcome as compared with WBI. APBI should be strongly considered in the treatment choice for selected low-risk patients. Mature local control results from ongoing adequately powered randomised trials are awaited.     

Hypofractionated radiation treatment in the management of breast cancer

Introduction: The standard treatment for early-stage breast cancer is breast conservation therapy, consisting of breast conserving surgery followed by adjuvant radiation treatment (RT). Conventionally-fractionated whole breast irradiation (CF-WBI) has been the standard RT regimen, but recently shorter courses of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (HF-WBI) have been advocated for patient convenience and reduction in healthcare costs and resources.

Areas covered: This review covers the major randomized European and Canadian trials comparing HF-WBI to CF-WBI with long-term follow-up, as well as additional recently closed randomized trials that further seek to define the applicability of HF-WBI in clinical practice. Randomized data is summarized in terms of clinical utility and for a variety of clinical applications. Recently published consensus guidelines and practical implementation of HF-WBI including its broader effect on the healthcare system are reviewed. Finally, an assessment of the emerging evidence in support of hypofractionation for locally advanced disease is presented.

Expert commentary: HF-WBI has replaced CF-WBI as the accepted standard of care in most women with early-stage breast cancer who do not require regional nodal irradiation. Early data supports the continued study of hypofractionation in the locally advanced setting, however broad adoption awaits longer follow-up and additional data from ongoing clinical trials.     

Patient selection for accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) after breast-conserving surgery: Recommendations of the Groupe Européen de Curiethérapie-European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (GEC-ESTRO) breast cancer working group based on clinical evidence (2009)

Purpose

To give recommendations on patient selection criteria for the use of accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) based on available clinical evidence complemented by expert opinion.

Methods and materials

Overall, 340 articles were identified by a systematic search of the PubMed database using the keywords “partial-breast irradiation” and “APBI”. This search was complemented by searches of reference lists of articles and handsearching of relevant conference abstracts and book chapters. Of these, 3 randomized and 19 prospective non-randomized studies with a minimum median follow-up time of 4 years were identified. The authors reviewed the published clinical evidence on APBI, complemented by relevant clinical and pathological studies of standard breast-conserving therapy and, through a series of personal communications, formulated the recommendations presented in this article.

Results

The GEC-ESTRO Breast Cancer Working Group recommends three categories guiding patient selection for APBI: (1) a low-risk group for whom APBI outside the context of a clinical trial is an acceptable treatment option; including patients ageing at least 50 years with unicentric, unifocal, pT1-2 (?30 mm) pN0, non-lobular invasive breast cancer without the presence of an extensive intraductal component (EIC) and lympho-vascular invasion (LVI) and with negative surgical margins of at least 2 mm, (2) a high-risk group, for whom APBI is considered contraindicated; including patients ageing ?40 years; having positive margins, and/or multicentric or large (>30 mm) tumours, and/or EIC positive or LVI positive tumours, and/or 4 or more positive lymph nodes or unknown axillary status (pNx), and (3) an intermediate-risk group, for whom APBI is considered acceptable only in the context of prospective clinical trials.

Conclusions

These recommendations will provide a clinical guidance regarding the use of APBI outside the context of a clinical trial before large-scale randomized clinical trial outcome data become available. Furthermore they should promote further clinical research focusing on controversial issues in the treatment of early-stage breast carcinoma.     

Trends and Patterns of Utilization of Hypofractionated Postmastectomy Radiotherapy: A National Cancer Database Analysis

Background

The acceptance of hypofractionated radiotherapy in treating breast cancer in the breast conservation therapy setting has stimulated interest in hypofractionated postmastectomy radiotherapy (PMRT). We assessed national trends and patterns of utilization of hypofractionated PMRT.

Prolonged impact of chemotherapy on fatigue in breast cancer survivors: a longitudinal comparison with radiotherapy-treated breast cancer survivors and noncancer controls

BACKGROUND:

In this study, the authors examined the influence of prior treatment on the course of fatigue in breast cancer survivors. Patients who received chemotherapy were expected to have greater fatigue than patients who received radiotherapy and noncancer controls 6 months after the completion of treatment, but they were expected to recover to levels similar to those of the other 2 groups 3 years later.

METHODS:

Patients with stage 0 through II breast cancer completed the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) and the Profile of Mood States Fatigue Scale (POMS‐FAT) 6 months (T1) and 42 months (T2) after completing chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy (the CT group; n = 103) or radiotherapy only (the RT group; n = 102). An age‐matched group of women with no history of cancer (the NC group; n = 193) was assessed over a similar interval.

RESULTS:

A significant (P = .041) group × time effect for FSI severity scores revealed that fatigue worsened over time in the CT group but remained stable and lower in the RT and NC groups. There also were significant group effects for FSI days (P < .001) and POMS‐FAT (P = .010) scores, indicating that fatigue was significantly greater across time in the CT group than in the NC group (POMS‐FAT) or the RT and NC groups (FSI days).

CONCLUSIONS:

Contrary to expectations, fatigue did not diminish over time in patients with breast cancer who received chemotherapy. This finding has important implications for patient education and for fatigue monitoring during follow‐up. The authors concluded that future research should seek to examine possible mechanisms to explain the apparent prolonged impact of chemotherapy on fatigue in breast cancer survivors. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society.     

Is Partial Breast Irradiation a Safe and Effective Treatment Approach for Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer?

Breast-conserving therapy (BCT) represents the standard care in the management of early-stage breast cancer, because long-term outcomes with breast conservation are comparable with those of mastectomy. Adjuvant radiation therapy remains an essential component of BCT with standard techniques requiring 5–6½?weeks. Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is a technique developed over the past two decades that enables completion of treatment in one week or less. Review of the expanding literature reveals increasing support for APBI using several techniques, including interstitial brachytherapy, balloon-based brachytherapy, and external beam therapy. Novel treatment strategies, including intraoperative radiation therapy, hypofractionated APBI, and proton therapy, require further results before definitive conclusions can be made. Although there is currently a lack of level I evidence, with the pending publication of multiple phase III trials comparing whole-breast irradiation and APBI, modern treatment incorporating APBI should soon be developed.