Abstract
Radiation therapy (RT) is an important component of breast cancer treatment. RT reduces local recurrence and breast cancer mortality after breast conservation for all patients and for node-positive patients after a mastectomy. Short courses of RT over 3–4 weeks are generally as effective as longer courses. A patient subgroup where RT can be avoided after conservative surgery has not been consistently identified. A radiation boost reduces the risk of a recurrence in the breast but may be omitted for older patients with good prognosis tumours with clear margins. Axillary recurrences can take a long time to appear, with 35% occurring after 5 years. Leaving disease untreated in regional nodes is associated with reduced survival. Not all patients require radiation after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and a subsequent mastectomy. Modern RT equipment and techniques will further improve survival rates.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 216-222 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Medical Journal of Australia |
Volume | 207 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 4 Sept 2017 |