Stronger doses of Radiation over a shorter period for Breast Cancer patients

The studies found that breast cancer patients who were given higher doses of radiation over a shorter period of time, as compared to the conventional treatment schedule, were much less likely to complain of severe pain and fatigue afterwards. Even better, the shortened schedule appeared to be less acutely toxic for the patient and just as effective as the latter. Together, the two studies could signify a new approach to breast cancer treatment. In the more experimental of the two studies, the authors recruited 287 women over the age of 40 who were already meant to receive additional radiation therapy after they had their breast tumors removed via surgery. The women were randomly assigned to one of two treatment schedules: conventionally fractionated whole-breast irradiation (CF-WBI), which spaces out its doses over a longer period of time; and hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation (HF-WBI), which provides higher, quicker doses, both groups were similarly given a boost dose of radiation at the end to the area where the original tumor was located.The two groups of women were then measured for their toxicity levels and interviewed about their quality of life both immediately after the last treatment and six months later. At the time, only half of the HF-WBI group suffered from any effects of acute radiation toxicity, compared to around two-thirds of the CF-WBI group, including lower rates of skin inflammation (dermatitis), breast pain, and darkening skin. Six months later, though the physical side-effects of the treatments had balanced out, there was still a noticeable improvement seen in the HF-WBI group.
“Patients who received the shorter course reported less difficulty in caring for their families’ needs. This is a major priority for women undergoing breast cancer radiation,” said lead author Dr. Simona Shaitelman.