Dosimetric risk factors for radiation esophagitis in patients with breast cancer following regional nodal radiation

BACKGROUND Radiation esophagitis(RE)is one of the most common clinical symptoms of regional lymph node radiotherapy for breast cancer.However,there are fewer studies focusing on RE caused by hypofractionated radiotherapy(HFRT).AIM To analyze the clinical and dosimetric factors that contribute to the development of RE in patients with breast cancer treated with HFRT of regional lymph nodes.METHODS Between January and December 2022,we retrospectively analysed 64 patients with breast cancer who met our inclusion criteria underwent regional nodal intensity-modulated radiotherapy at a radiotherapy dose of 43.5 Gy/15F.RESULTS Of the 64 patients in this study,24(37.5%)did not develop RE,29(45.3%)developed grade 1 RE(G1RE),11(17.2%)developed grade 2 RE(G2RE),and none developed grade 3 RE or higher.Our univariable logistic regression analysis found G2RE to be significantly correlated with the maximum dose,mean dose,relative volume 20-40,and absolute volume(AV)20-40.Our stepwise linear regression analyses found AV30 and AV35 to be significantly associated with G2RE(P<0.001).The optimal threshold for AV30 was 2.39 mL[area under the curve(AUC):0.996;sensitivity:90.9%;specificity:91.1%].The optimal threshold for AV35 was 0.71 mL(AUC:0.932;sensitivity:90.9%;specificity:83.9%).CONCLUSION AV30 and AV35 were significantly associated with G2RE.The thresholds for AV30 and AV35 should be limited to 2.39 mL and 0.71 mL,respectively.

Changes in acute and late toxicity and patient-reported health-related quality of life following radiotherapy in women with breast cancer:A 1-year longitudinal study

Objective:The objective of this study was to investigate the frequency of acute and late toxicities,as well as changes in the quality of life(QOL)for breast cancer patients following radiotherapy(RT).Materials and Methods:A total of 108 breast cancer women were recruited for this prospective study.Data were collected at various intervals;prior to,and 1,3,6 months,and 1 year after radiation therapy.The primary outcomes were toxicity radiation therapy oncology group/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer(EORTC)criteria.Our secondary outcome was QOL,measured using EORTC QLQ-C30 and Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale.We employed Friedman’s two-way analysis to evaluate the changes in QOL over the course of 1 year.Results:The early toxicities that are most commonly experienced include pharyngeal,skin,and mucous membrane toxicity.Late toxicities frequently involve skin and submucosal toxicity.To measure patient functionality,all functional subscale scores except for the patient’s emotional state increased over time compared to pre-RT.Symptoms of the patients,which were included in the QOL symptom scale,decreased during the follow-up period,except for fatigue;however,changes in pain,insomnia,and loss of appetite did not significantly change.We identified the analogous symptom profiles in Edmonton.Although patients’overall health scores declined in the 1st and 3rd months after radiotherapy(RT),they rebounded at 6 and 12 months.Conclusion:For breast cancer patients,RT did not adversely affect functional capacity or exacerbate symptoms,but persistent fatigue did increase during the observation period.Health-care professionals ought to devise strategies to assist patients with skin toxicity and fatigue.

Adjuvant chemotherapy and acute toxicity in hypofractionated radiotherapy for early breast cancer

AIM: To evaluate the effect of chemotherapy to the acute toxicity of a hypofractionated radiotherapy(HFRT) schedule for breast cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 116 breast cancer patients with T1, 2N0 Mx. The patients received3-D conformal radiotherapy with a total physical dose of 50.54 Gy or 53.2 Gy in 19 or 20 fractions according to stage, over 23-24 d. The last three to four fractions were delivered as a sequential tumor boost. All patients were monitored for acute skin toxicity according to the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Radiation Therapy Oncology Group criteria. The maximum monitored value was taken as the final grading score. Multivariate analysis was performed for the contribution of age, chemotherapy and 19 vs 20 fractions to the radiation acute skin toxicity.RESULTS: The acute radiation induced skin toxicity was as following: grade Ⅰ 27.6%, grade Ⅱ 7.8% and grade Ⅲ 2.6%. No significant correlation was noted between toxicity grading and chemotherapy(P = 0.154, χ2 test). The mean values of acute toxicity score in terms of chemotherapy or not, were 0.64 and 0.46 respectively(P = 0.109, Mann Whitney test). No significant correlation was also noted between acute skin toxicity and radiotherapy fractions(P = 0.47, χ2test). According to univariate analysis, only chemotherapy contributed significantly to the development of acute skin toxicity but with a critical value of P = 0.05. However, in multivariate analysis, chemotherapy lost its statistical significance. None of the patients during the 2-years of follow-up presented any locoregional relapse.CONCLUSION: There is no clear evidence that chemotherapy has an impact to acute skin toxicity after an HFRT schedule. A randomized trial is needed for definite conclusions.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy for breast cancer:a systematic review

Objective:The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effect of breast conservation with breast intensitymodulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for early-stage breast cancers.Methods:Pub Med,EMBASE,Cochrane Library,Chinese Biomedical Literature Database were searched to identify relevant original published trails,and the references of eligible studies were manually screened.Randomized controlled trails reported in any language,comparing breast IMRT with conventional radiotherapy (RT) in patients with early-stage breast cancer were eligible for inclusion.Two investigators independently assessed the quality of included trials and extracted data.The RevMan 5.0 software was used for statistical analysis.Results:Four trials involving 1440 patients were included.The results showed that in the IMRT group,the occurrence of acute moist dermatitis,the edema of the mammary gland and the occurrence of hyperpigmentation were lower than those of RT group,the pooled risk ratio value and 95% confidence interval were 0.28 (0.17-0.48),0.03 (0.00-0.21) and 0.06 (0.02-0.15) respectively.The use of IMRT did not correlate with pain and quality of life,but the presence of moist desquamation did significantly correlate with pain and reduced quality of life.Conclusion:The currently available evidence showed that IMRT significantly reduces the occurrence of moist acute dermatitis anywhere in the breast and alleviates the suffering of patients and improves the quality of life of patients.Future large-scale,high-quality,double-blind trials are needed.

The 10-Year Local Recurrence and Partial Breast Radiotherapy for Early Breast Cancer Treated by Conservative Surgery

To study the local recurrence and the role of whole breast radiotherapy for early breast cancer treated by conservative surgery. METHODS From April 1990 to December 2000, 49 patients with early primary breast cancer were treated by conservative surgery in our hospital. The cases were comprised of Stage 0, 1; Stage Ⅰ, 31; and Stage Ⅱa, 17. Forty cases underwent quadrantectomy plus axillary lymph node dissection, and the other 9 cases had lumpectomy alone. Irradiation, which was received by 39 patients, was administered by using low tangential half fields with 6 MV X-ray to decrease the pulmonary irradiative volume. The dose to the whole breast was 45 Gy/22 ～23f/4.5W, then a 15 Gy boost dose was delivered to the tumor bed by an electron beam. The other patients underwent an irradiated regional field according to postoperative pathology. RESULTS All patients were followed-up for 10 years or more. The 10- year local recurrence rates, distant metastasis rates and survival rates were 6.1%, 4.1% and 98.0% respectively. All of the 3 patients who had a local recurrence had infiltrative carcinomas and negative lymph nodes. The 10-year local recurrence rate was higher （2.6% vs. 20.0%） with nonpostoperative whole breast radootherapy, but the statistical difference was not marked because of the low number of cases. All of the recurrent lesions localized within 3 cm of the primary lesion. CONCLUSION Original recurrence of the tumor was the main type of local recurrence. Radiotherapy after conservative surgery is very essential. After conservative surgery it is feasible that irradiation can be delivered alone to the neighboring region of the tumor bed. Partial breast radiotherapy can substitute for whole breast radiotherapy.

Application of biological optimization of hypofractionated radiotherapy post conservative surgery for breast cancer

Objective The aim of the study was to discuss the application of biological optimization and its difference from physical optimization in hypofractionated radiotherapy for breast cancer after conservative surgery.Methods This retrospective study enrolled 15 randomly chosen patients with left-sided breast cancer who received radiotherapy.The volumetric arc therapy(VMAT)technique was used to redesign treatment plans with physical functions(PF)group,biological-physical functions combined(BF+PF and PF+BF)groups,and biological functions(BF)group.The dosimetric differences based on the above four optimization methods were assessed by calculating and analyzing the corresponding dose-volume parameters.Results The target parameters of the four groups differed significantly(P<0.05)except for the conformity index(CI).The tumor control probability(TCP)values in the BF and BF+PF groups were higher than those in the PF and PF+BF groups.Moreover,the dose-volume parameters of the ipsilateral lung in the BF group were less than those of three other groups,while the monitor unit(MU)in the BF group was approximately 16%lower than those of the PF and PF+BF groups.Conclusion Biological functions were useful to increase the equivalent uniform dose(EUD)and TCP values of the target,decrease the dose-volume parameters of the organs-at-risk(OARs),and improve treatment efficiency.

Comparative Dosimetric Study for Treating Left Sided Breast Cancer Using Three Different Radiotherapy Techniques:Tangential Wedged Fields, Forward Planned Segmented Filed, and IP-IMRT

Background: Radiation therapy should not only be directed to improve the local control, which has a survival benefit, but also should be directed to minimize the risk of complications, which may develop in critical organs. Several studies have reported that field-in-field (FiF) radiotherapy technique improves the dose homogeneity, decreases doses to lungs, heart and contralateral breast compared with conventional wedged technique. Purpose: compare the dosimetry for the left breast cancer radiotherapy using three different radiotherapy techniques, tangential wedged fields (TW), segmented field (FiF) and inverse planning IMRT (IP-IMRT). Material and Methods: Twenty patients have undergone left breast-conservative surgery and received a prescribed dose of 50 Gy/25 fractions. Results: The mean PTV receiving >105% (V105) dose was1.75% for IP-IMRT, 2.03% for FiF, and 4.82% for TW. The mean V95% was 92.1% for TW, 96% for FiF, and 95.1% for IP-IMRT;these differences regarding V105% and V95% are statistically significant through paired comparison between FiF vs TW and IP-IMRT vs TW, with no statistically significant difference between FiF and IP-IMRT. Better conformity and homogeneity indices for FiF and IMRT compared to TW with statistical significant difference. Regarding organs at risk, left lung and heart have higher values of V5, V10, and V20 for IP-IMRT compared to TW and FiF;the differences are statistically significant, lower coronary artery regionV30 vules for IPIMRT compared to TW and FiF but no difference in the Dmean between IPIMRT and FIF. FiF and TW decrease the contralateral breast dose significantly compared to IP IMRT. Conclusion: FiF technique is an efficient and reliable method for achieving a uniform dose throughout the whole breast resulting in improved coverage, sparing of organs at risk and reduction of acute and late toxicities.

A Longitudinal Study of Clinical Benefits with Implementation of the Deep Inspiration Breath-Hold Technique in Post-Operative Radiotherapy for Left-Sided Breast Cancer

Purpose/Objectives: We aimed to report clinical effects on critical organ dose and cardiac toxicity from implementation of the deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH) technique in post-operative extern-beam radiotherapy of patients with left-sided breast cancer, using longitudinal clinical data. Materials/Methods: We retrieved three groups of patients who received post-operative radiotherapy of left-sided breast cancer in our institution in recent years: Groups A and B consist of patients whose treatment did not include internal mammary nodes (IMN) and who were treated with the free breathing technique and with the DIBH technique, respectively, and Group C consists of patients whose radiotherapy included internal mammary nodes with the DIBH technique. Dose parameters for the heart and left lung were retrieved from the treatment plans. Radiation-induced cardiac risks were estimated using existing risk models. Results: The average heart dose was 2.65 ± 0.98 Gy, 1.10 ± 0.29 Gy, and 1.26 ± 0.25 Gy in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. The average heart volumes receiving at least 25 Gy were 7.10 ± 9.79 cc in Group A, 0.07 ± 0.22 cc in Group B, and 0.03 ± 0.08 cc in Group C. On average, the excessive risk of having ischemic heart disease was estimated to be 19.6%, 8.1%, and 9.3% in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. The mean left lung doses were 5.73 ± 1.86 Gy, 5.93 ± 1.55 Gy, and 9.13 ± 1.57 Gy in Groups A, B, and C, respectively. Conclusion: Implementation of the DIBH technique significantly lowered heart dose and decreased the ischemic heart disease risk in patients receiving post-operative radiotherapy for left-sided breast cancer, without significant increase in left lung dose.

Dosimetric Comparison between Conventional 2D and 3D Conformal Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Intact Breast Cancer

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) techniques after Conservative Breast Surgery (CBS) vary. Three Dimension (3D) planning allows for better plan optimization compared to 2 Dimension (2D) plans and also allowing for creating Dose Volume Histograms (DVHs) for both Planning Target Volume (PTV) and Organs at Risk (OAR). Patients and Methods: Twenty consecutive patients with CBS planned for whole breast and supraclavicular (SCV) RT at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Egypt between January and June 2016 were included in this study. All patients were planned clinically in 2D fashion with no more than 2 cm of ipsilateral lung allowed in the tangential fields “Limited 2D” (Limit-2D) then Target and OAR volumes were drawn according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) guidelines and 3D plans and a central slice PTV-based 2D plan, “Modified 2D” (Mod-2D), were performed in the same Computerized Tomography (CT) slices for each patient. Mono-Iso-Centeric technique (MIT) was used in 3D plans. DVH parameters were used to compare the three plans. Results: In 3D plans, compared to Limit-2D, coverage improved for the intact breast (V95% = 95% versus (Vs) 69%, p = 0.036) and SCVPTV (V90% = 90% Vs 65%, p = 0.01). The breast and SCV V 107%, V112% and Dmax were better with 3D plan however not statistical significant (NS). Junctional hot spots were 120% and 107% in the Limit-2D and 3D plans respectively (p = 0.04). The dose to the heart, mean (333 Vs 491 cGy), V10 (5% Vs 10%) and V20 (3% Vs 7%), Ipsilateral lung V20 (19% Vs 26%), and contra lateral breast D-max (205 Vs 462 cGy) were higher in 3D plans however NS, and the dose to the cord was the same. Comparison between 3D and Mod-2D showed better OAR sparing with 3D with mean heart dose (491 cGy Vs 782 cGy, p = 0.025) and Ipsilateral lung V20 (26% Vs 32%, p = 0.07% with statistically comparable target coverage. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that application of 3D plan using MIT improves coverage of breast and SCVPTVs with minimizing hot spot at the junctional area if compared with Limit-2D plans with comparable dose to OAR. When compared with Mod-2D plans, 3D plans not only had better target coverage but also better sparing of OAR, the latter was statistically significant.

Breast-conserving surgery and combined therapy for women breast cancer: a report of 216 cases

Objective： To explore the therapeutic effect and associated techniques of breast-conserving therapy on patients with clinical stage Ⅰ and stage Ⅱ breast cancer. Methods： 216 female patients with breast cancer underwent breast-conserving therapy from December 1993 to October 2004. Their data were analyzed retrospectively. The breast-conserving therapy consisted of lumpectomy or quadrant removal of the breast, postoperative radiotherapy, chemotherapy and endocrine therapy. Of them, 209 patients underwent axillary lymph node dissection. Results： There were no operative complications. 216 patients were followed-up 3 to 147 months, the medial follow-up time was 78 months. The local recurrence rate was 1.85%. Two patients died and one of them was not related with breast cancer. Presence or absence of fibrosis, shape of breast, asymmetry, pigmentation and handle were taken into consideration for cosmetic evaluation by the patients and experienced breast surgeon. Breasts were scored cosmetically as excellent and good in 199 patients, the rate of satisfactory was 92.13%. Conclusion： Breast-conserving therapy for early breast cancer is e safe end effective therapy. It has less trauma end less complications and can also raise the quality of life in the patients. But we must obey the strict indications and reasonable techniques.

Feasibility of Concurrent Radiotherapy and Paclitaxel-Based Chemotherapy after Conservative Surgery for Breast Cancer

Purpose: Our prospective phase II trial aims to show the feasibility of adjuvant paclitaxel-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) following doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC) to get the survival benefit of taxanes addition and avoid delay of radiotherapy. Patients and Methods: A total of 63 patients with pT1-2, and pN1-3, M0 breast cancer underwent conservative surgery followed by adjuvant 4 cycles AC followed by 4 cycles Paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. Adjuvant radiotherapy started during the first and second cycle of paclitaxel (CCRT). Toxicities evaluated at the base time, weekly during radiation therapy and every 3 months for 24 months for skin, pulmonary, cardiac, lymphedema, subcutaneous fibrosis and cosmoses. Survival reported at 2-year median follow-up. Results: At median follow up time of 24 months (6 - 30), we did not report any toxicity postpone or stop treatment and only two patients had grade III acute dermatitis. Fifty-two patients (82.5%) had satisfactory cosmoses and none of the patients developed local recurrence. Conclusion: Three-weekly paclitaxel during radiotherapy is considered safe without significant complications and acceptable cosmoses with excellent local control and could be considered to avoid radiotherapy delay.

Breast Conserving Surgery and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy under Local Anesthesia for Breast Cancer

Background: Breast conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy has become the standard operation for early breast cancer. This operation has been performed under local anesthesia for patients that would like short-term admission or for those not indicated for general anesthesia due to complications. This report presents the outcomes of breast conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy under local anesthesia. Patients and Methods: The study included 61 patients with breast cancer that were all definitely diagnosed before surgery. The indications were preoperatively diagnosed localized DCIS, invasive carcinoma measuring less than 3 cm in tumor diameter on ultrasound, and tumors with negative axillary lymph nodes. The surgical procedures included breast conserving surgery associated with sentinel lymph node navigation biopsy. Results: The surgery could be performed under local anesthesia in all 61 patients, and no patient was converted to general anesthesia. Four patients had sentinel lymph node metastasis. Surgical stumps were positive in 18 patients (29.5%). Ten Gy of boost irradiation of the tumor bed was added to the conventional breast irradiation for these patients. There were no serious complications associated with surgery. Conclusion: Breast conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy for early breast cancer can be performed safely under local anesthesia. This procedure contributes to shortening the length of hospitalization and thereby saving medical resources without deceasing the quality of treatment.

Experience with intraoperative radiotherapy for breast cancer: the Geneva University Hospital's experience

Background Breast conserving surgery along with adjuvant radiotherapy is effective in terms of local control and survival for early- stage breast cancer （1）. External beam radiotherapy （EBRT） following breast conserving surgery has been shown to improve survival by preventing local recurrence, in the Early Breast Cancer Trialists＇ Collaborative Group meta-analysis （2）. Standard radiotherapy typically requires numerous fractions over a 3-5 week period and is performed weeks or months after surgery or chemotherapy.

Advances in Clinical Application of Postoperative Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer

Objective:To explore the clinical value of color Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of breast cancer.Methods:99 cases of breast cancer patients were selected as the research object,retrospective analysis of its clinical treatment data.Results:The group of 99 patients,97 confirmed cases,2 cases were misdiagnosed,the diagnostic accuracy rate was 97.98%.Conclusion:Color Doppler ultrasonography in patients with breast cancer has the advantages of high accuracy,simple operation and noninvasive.It is worthy of promotion.

Clinical significance of S100A7 protein in predicting recurrence of breast cancer in patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery with radiotherapy

Objective To investigate the relationship between the expression of S100A7 protein and prediction of recurrence and prognosis of breast cancer in patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery combined with radiotherapy.Methods 349 samples of carcinoma tissue wax blocks were selected from January 2011 to January 2014 in Qingdao Central Hospital.All the patients had undergone breast-conserving surgery.We analyzed S100A7 expression in tumor tissue by immunohistochemical staining.Using univariate and multivariate analyses,we evaluated the relationship between S100A7 and clinical results,to explore independent risk factors for local regional recurrence(LRR).Results The positive expression of S100A7 in the recurrence group(66.7%)was significantly higher than in the non-recurrence group(38.4%),P=0.025.A log-rank test showed that high S100A7 expression was significantly correlated with 5-year regional recurrence free survival rate(RFS)(94.9%vs 89.5%,P=0.0408),distant metastasis free survival rate(DFS)(95.4%vs 83.5%,P<0.001),and overall survival rate(OS)(99.0%vs 92.5%,P=0.0011).Histological grade,vessel carcinoma embolus,lymph node metastasis,S100A7 expression,and tumor size were factors that influenced RFS.Multivariate analysis of the Cox proportional hazard model showed that high S100A7 expression was an independent risk factor that affected breast cancer RFS(HR=6.864,95%CI:1.575-29.915,P=0.01).Thus,we concluded that high S100A7 expression is associated with increased risk of LRR and distant metastasis of breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery and postoperative radiotherapy.S100A7 can be used as a molecular marker to screen for patients with high recurrence risk after breast-conserving surgery.

Axillary lymph node dissection plus radiotherapy may be an optimal strategy for patients with occult breast cancer

Background:Because of the rarity of occult breast cancer(OBC)and limited experience in OBC treatment,the optimal treatment strategy is unknown.This study aimed to compare the efficacy of axillary lymph node dissection(ALND)plus radiotherapy with that of mastectomy plus ALND in patients with OBC.Methods:Relevant clinical data between January 2004 and December 2015 were retrospectively collected from the Surveillance,Epidemiology,and End Results database.The clinical characteristics and prognoses of patients who underwent ALND plus radiotherapy or mastectomy plus ALND were compared before and after propensity score matching.Results:Overall,569 eligible patients with OBC were included in this study.Of these,247 patients underwent ALND plus radiotherapy and 322 underwent mastectomy plus ALND.The 5-year overall survival(OS)rates in the ALND plus radiotherapy group and the mastectomy plus ALND group were 89.2%and 80.6%,respectively;and the corresponding 5-year breast cancer-specific survival(BCSS)rates were 95.2%and 93.0%,respectively.After propensity score matching,the OS in the ALND plus radiotherapy group was significantly better than that in the mastectomy plus ALND group.In addition,further subgroup analyses revealed that ALND plus radiotherapy prolonged OS in the pN3 subgroup.Among patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy,those who underwent ALND plus radiotherapy had better BCSS and OS than those who underwent mastectomy plus ALND.Conclusions:ALND plus radiotherapy could improve the OS of patients with OBC,especially those with pN3 disease and those receiving chemotherapy.ALND combined with radiotherapy is the optimal treatment strategy for patients with imaging-negative OBC.

Advances in regional nodal management of early-stage breast cancer

With the continuous improvement of systemic treatment, reasonable local regional control of early-stage breast cancer can be translated into survival benefits. The optimization of regional nodal management in patients with limited sentinel lymph node(SLN) metastasis needs to be weighed by surgical complications, regional recurrence risk, and lymph node status, as well as other escalating treatment(systemic/radiotherapy) that may result from deescalating surgery. With the effective support and supplementation of systemic therapy and radiotherapy, the management of axillary surgery is developing in a de-escalating trend. The widespread application of neoadjuvant therapy has contributed to optimizing the management of patients with clinically node-negative/imaging nodepositive disease. In clinical practice, it is necessary to consider the residual tumor burden of regional lymph nodes when formulating the optimal irradiation fields in patients with limited positive SLN without axillary lymph node dissection. The combined application of genomic tests and American College of Surgeons Oncology Group Z0011/AMAROS criteria could provide patients with a better strategy of dual de-escalation treatment, which includes the de-escalation of both axillary surgery and systemic treatment. In the era of sentinel lymph node biopsy(SLNB), the regional nodal management of breast cancer should adhere to the concept of “updating ideas, making bold assumptions, and carefully seeking proof”, make full use of the benefits of systemic therapy and radiotherapy to reduce the scope of surgery and complications, and expand the “net benefit” of efficacy and quality of life. This review discusses the optimization of regional nodal management in the era of SLNB, in order to provide reference information for clinicians.

Parallel pathways:A chronicle of evolution in rectal and breast cancer surgery

In this editorial,we have analyzed the historical evolution of rectal and breast cancer surgery,focusing on the progressive reduction of demolitive approaches and the increasing use of more conservative strategies,accompanied by a growing emphasis on perioperative treatments aimed at enhancing surgical outcomes.All of these changes have been made possible due to an increased awareness and understanding of oncological diseases and improved perioperative treatments.

Study on the Impact of Post-Mastectomy Radiotherapy on Immediate Breast Reconstruction and Complications: A Meta-Analysis

Background and objective:Immediate breast reconstruction not only reduces the number of surgeries for patients after mastectomy but also decreases psychological and physical trauma,making it increasingly popular.However,there is currently no consensus on the integration of post-mastectomy radiotherapy(PMRT)with reconstruction techniques.This review evaluates the impact of PMRT on complications following immediate breast reconstruction,providing guidance for clinical treatment decisions.Methods:PubMed,Web of Science,Embase,and other databases were searched for studies published in the past 15 years on outcomes of implant-based breast reconstruction in the context of radiotherapy to identify articles for analysis.RevMan 5.4 software was used to analyze the risks of seroma,infection,wound dehiscence,flap necrosis,implant exposure,capsule contracture,and reconstruction failure.Results:A total of 1l relevant studies were included,comprising 6323 cases of immediate breast reconstruction.It was found that breasts receiving postoperative irradiation had a significantly increased risk of complications,with statistically significant differences in seroma(P=0.004),infection(P<0.00001),wound dehiscence(P=0.04),implant exposure(P<0.00001),capsule contracture(P<0.00001),and reconstruction failure(P<0.00001).There was no statistically significant difference in flap necrosis(P=0.88).Conclusion:The results indicate that postoperative radiotherapy significantly increases the risk of complications for patients undergoing immediate implant-based reconstruction.Preventive measures may be taken in advance with the assistance of healthcare providers if necessary.

Recent advances in breast cancer radiotherapy:Evolution or revolution,or how to decrease cardiac toxicity?

Radiation therapy has a major role in the management of breast cancers.However,there is no consensus on how to irradiate and on volume definitions,and there are strong differences in strategies according to different centers and physicians.New treatment protocols and techniques have been used with the principal purpose of decreasing lung and heart toxicity and adapting radiation treatment to patients' anatomy.There is evidence that indicates internal mammary chain radiotherapy should be used carefully and that high quality techniques should be used for decreasing the dose delivered to the heart.This review of the literature presents the state of the art on breast cancer radiotherapy,with special focus on the indications,techniques,and potential toxicity.