Cancer Treatment Today

The rationale for post-mastectomy radiation(PMRT) is to decrease the chance that cells left behind will regrow in the remaining skin or tissue after mastectomy.  Although this is not a common complication, when it ocurrs, it can be devastating. Although the concern is understandable, post-mastectomy radiation tends to be overused in theUSA. For example, women who have stage I or II disease with spread to no more than three lymph nodes and who did

Post-mastectomy radiation tends to be overused in the USA. For example, women who have stage I or II disease with spread to no more than three lymph nodes and who did not undergo radiation therapy, have the overall locoregional recurrence rate of just 2.3% at 10 years. A 2005 meta-analysis looked at randomized trials conducted between 1964 and 1984. The analysis determined that postmastectomy radiation in these women resulted not only in about a

Hyperfrationated radiotherapy has been extensively studied, both in the treatment of head and neck cancer and in other cancer types. Hyperfractionated radiotherapy (multiple fractions per day) yields higher rates of acute toxicity compared with conventional radiotherapy (one fraction per day, five days per week). Data on the incidence and severity of late complications associated with hyperfractionation are incomplete. It is premature to conclude