High-Dose/Short-Term Radiation Better for Breast Cancer than Low-Dose/Long

Women in early stages of breast cancer may benefit more from shorter, yet more intensive radiation treatment, a recent study has found. The women have less toxicity and higher quality of life in comparison to those who undergo a longer course of treatment, according to researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Other studies show that keeping active while hit by illness is a way of maintaining a positive mental state, and it’s no secret that that keeps the body fighting against the disease. This method, however, is known as conventional fractioned whole breast irradiation. Hypofractionated radiation therapy, on the other hand, pertains to the administration of the correct radiation dose over a shorter span of time and in fairly higher amount at once.

“Patients who received the shorter course reported less difficulty in caring for their families’ needs”. All patients had undergone breast conserving surgery and were diagnosed with breast cancer stage 0 to 2. Randomly assigned to receive either of the two treatment regimens, they were evaluated for side effects and quality of life concerns based on both their own assessments and their doctors.

For the prospective, unblinded trial, 287 women with early breast cancer were randomized to receive either CF-WBI or HF-WBI, 149 and 138 patients, respectively.

For almost a decade, the higher dose approach has been practiced in the U.S. and this was possible due to technological advances.

With this, the authors concluded that hypofractionation has been proven not only to be a more convenient option than CF, but also to be a radiation therapy choice that can cause lesser discomfort to patients.

Dr. Benjamin Smith is the study’s corresponding author and an associate professor of radiation oncology at MD Anderson.

Previously, the researchers used to think hypo fractionated radiotherapy for the whole breast is effective and safe for the women who takes long term treatment, but when considered the toxic effects of the short term are not that well when compared to the traditional fractionation. “This is a major priority for women undergoing breast cancer radiation”, says Shaitelman.

The researchers found that those getting shorter radiation course experienced less acute toxicity during treatment, such as breast pain, dermatitis, skin darkening and fatigue.

“No longer do I regard the shorter course of treatment as just an option for patients, but rather the preferred starting point for discussion with patients if they need whole breast radiation”.