Elsevier

Radiotherapy and Oncology

Volume 121, Issue 3, December 2016, Pages 348-356
Radiotherapy and Oncology

Special commentary
The changing landscape in radiotherapy for breast cancer: Lessons from long term follow-up in some European breast cancer trials

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radonc.2016.11.009Get rights and content
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open access

Abstract

This review describes the developments in the radiation treatment of breast cancer based on some randomized European trials during the past decades. It will focus on the relevance of long term follow-up in breast cancer patients, starting with the surprising and important change in treatment results during follow-up shown in a locally advanced breast cancer trial. Breast conserving therapy (BCT) in stage I and II breast cancer was explored and tested in a randomized trial to prove equivalence between BCT and mastectomy. The positive outcome led to trials in breast conserving therapy with lower doses and partial breast irradiation. Finally the need for finding genetic profiles for predicting treatment response will be addressed in a trial with preoperative partial breast irradiation.

Keywords

Breast cancer
Locally advanced breast cancer
Mastectomy
Radiotherapy
Breast conserving therapy
Boost dose
Preoperative irradiation
Gene profiles

Cited by (0)

1

I am very grateful to all my colleagues in the EORTC Breast and Radiotherapy Group, the NKI breast working party, and the NKI department of Radiation Oncology who allowed me to coordinate the phase III trials described in this article and the research on predictive assays.