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Review
. 2018 Dec;7(6):596-610.
doi: 10.21037/gs.2018.11.05.

Accelerated partial breast radiotherapy: a review of the literature and future directions

Nathan R Bennion  1 , Michael Baine  1 , Andrew Granatowicz  2 , Andrew O Wahl  1
Affiliations
Review

Accelerated partial breast radiotherapy: a review of the literature and future directions

Nathan R Bennion et al. Gland Surg. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Breast conservation therapy exemplifies the tailoring of medicine in the care of patients with cancer. Akin to improvements in surgical approaches, accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) tailors the treatment volume and duration to the needs of well selected patients. Here, we examine the evidence supporting APBI as well as the lessons in patient selection, dose and delivery techniques. Examination of historical techniques and their associated outcomes will support more correct patient selection and treatment delivery in an era where we await the reports of several large prospective trials.

Keywords: Breast cancer; accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI); brachytherapy; breast conservation; radiotherapy; toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Dose distribution in breast radiotherapy. Axial and coronal dose distributions characteristic of balloon-based brachytherapy (A,B), external beam partial breast irradiation (C,D), and whole breast irradiation (E,F) respectively.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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