Technological advancements and future perspectives in breast cancer radiation therapy

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer is still one of the most common tumors worldwide and radiation therapy has a central role in the oncological pathway. Several technological options are now available with the aim to improve therapeutic index, target definition, and patient selection.

Areas covered: In this review, we summarize current available technologies in the management of breast cancer. These advances can support the prescription of postoperative partial breast cancer treatment and preoperative stereotactic partial breast irradiation. Moreover, image-guided radiotherapy is crucial for high-quality radiation treatments. Additionally, the recent development of hybrid magnetic resonance linear accelerator can impact target volume outline procedure, adaptive planning and radiomics. Finally, artificial intelligence represents the new frontier in medicine, supporting clinicians in target definition, patient selection, and treatment planning.

Expert opinion: In patients with breast cancer the overall level of evidence about new technologies is still low even if some advances are potentially very interesting to further development.

Keywords: Breast cancer; artificial intelligence; image guided radiation therapy; radiomics; technology.