Clinical Effectiveness of an Adaptive Treatment Planning Algorithm for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy Versus 3D Conformal Radiation Therapy for Node-Positive Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Regional Nodal Irradiation/Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy

Clinical trials support adjuvant regional nodal irradiation (RNI) after breast conserving surgery (BCS) or mastectomy for patients with lymph node-positive breast cancer. Advanced treatment planning techniques (e.g., intensity-modulated radiation therapy [IMRT]) may reduce dose to organs-at-risk (OARs) in this situation. Yet, uncertainty persists about when IMRT is clinically indicated (versus 3D conformal radiation, 3DCRT) for RNI. We hypothesized that an adaptive treatment planning algorithm (adaptive-TPA) for IMRT adoption would allow OAR constraints for RNI to be met when 3DCRT could not without significantly changing toxicity and local-regional recurrence (LRR) patterns.

Source: International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics - July 20, 2020 Category: Radiology Authors: Jose G. Bazan, Erin Healy, Sasha Beyer, Karla Kuhn, Dominic DiCostanzo, Tamara L. Smith, Sachin Jhawar, Julia R. White Source Type: research