Friday 16 September 2016

From technological advances to biological understanding: The main steps toward high-precision RT in breast cancer

From technological advances to biological understanding: The main steps toward high-precision RT in breast cancer


The Breast October 2016Volume 29, Pages 213–222
Leonardi MC et al

Radiotherapy improves local control in breast cancer (BC) patients which increases overall survival in the long term. Improvements in treatment planning and delivery and a greater understanding of BC behaviour have laid the groundwork for high-precision radiotherapy, which is bound to further improve the therapeutic index. Precise identification of target volumes, better coverage and dose homogeneity have had a positive impact on toxicity and local control. The conformity of treatment dose due to three-dimensional radiotherapy and new techniques such as intensity modulated radiotherapy makes it possible to spare surrounding normal tissue.