Progress and controversies: Radiation therapy for invasive breast cancer

Abstract

Radiation therapy is a critical component of the multidisciplinary management of invasive breast cancer. In appropriately selected patients, radiation not only improves local control, sparing patients the morbidity and distress of local recurrence, but it also improves survival by preventing seeding and reseeding of distant metastases from persistent reservoirs of locoregional disease. In recent years, considerable progress has been made toward improving our ability to select patients most likely to benefit from radiotherapy and to administer treatment in ways that maximize clinical benefit while minimizing toxicity and burden. This article reviews the role of radiation therapy in invasive breast cancer management, both after breast-conserving surgery and after mastectomy. It focuses particularly on emerging evidence that helps to define the clinical situations in which radiotherapy is indicated, the appropriate targets of treatment, and optimal approaches for minimizing both the toxicity and the burden of treatment, all in the context of the evolving surgical and systemic management of this common disease. It includes a discussion of new approaches in breast cancer radiotherapy, including hypofractionation and intensity modulation, as well as a discussion of promising avenues for future research.

Assessment of synergistic effect of combining hyperthermia with irradiation and calcium carbonate nanoparticles on proliferation of human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7 cells)

“…It has been estimated that virtually 50% of all cancer patients are candidates for radiation therapy during their course of disease [3]. Radiation therapy is considered as a mandatory treatment for the patients undergoing conservative surgery and is appropriate for females with a high risk of recurrence of breast cancer after mastectomy [4].…”

Alteration in Serum Lipid Profile Levels in Iraqi Women With Breast Cancer Before and After Chemotherapy

“…Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women; about 80-90% of all breast cancer infiltrating ductal carcinoma [1,2]. Current treatment of breast cancer is based on combination therapy using radiotherapy, chemotherapy and cytotoxic molecules and antibodies targeting cancer cells [3].…”

A Benzylideneacetophenone Derivative Induces Apoptosis of Radiation-Resistant Human Breast Cancer Cells via Oxidative Stress

“…Radiation therapy is an important part of conditioning regimens for breast cancer treatment. Radiotherapy significantly increases viability and post-operative local control in early-stage breast cancer patients (Jagsi, 2013). However, radiotherapy fails to control cancer growth in some breast cancer patients due to radiation resistance (Langlands et al ., 2013).…”