Radiation therapy planning with photons and protons for early and advanced breast cancer: an overview

• Published in: Radiation oncology (London, England) Vol. 1; no. 1; p. 22
• Main Authors: Weber, Damien C, Ares, Carmen, Lomax, Antony J, Kurtz, John M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 20-07-2006; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Breast Neoplasms - economics; Breast Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Breast Neoplasms - surgery; Combined Modality Therapy - methods; Female; Health Care Costs; Humans; Photons - therapeutic use; Protons - therapeutic use; Radiotherapy - economics; Radiotherapy - methods; Radiotherapy Dosage; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted - methods; Review; Time Factors; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - methods; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1748-717X; 1748-717X
• DOI: 10.1186/1748-717X-1-22

Postoperative radiation therapy substantially decreases local relapse and moderately reduces breast cancer mortality, but can be associated with increased late mortality due to cardiovascular morbidity and secondary malignancies. Sophistication of breast irradiation techniques, including conformal radiotherapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy, has been shown to markedly reduce cardiac and lung irradiation. The delivery of more conformal treatment can also be achieved with particle beam therapy using protons. Protons have superior dose distributional qualities compared to photons, as dose deposition occurs in a modulated narrow zone, called the Bragg peak. As a result, further dose optimization in breast cancer treatment can be reasonably expected with protons. In this review, we outline the potential indications and benefits of breast cancer radiotherapy with protons. Comparative planning studies and preliminary clinical data are detailed and future developments are considered.