New Radiation Technique Reduces Breast Cancer Treatment Side Effects

Side effects that can occur include changes in the breast's shape and feel, and skin irritations similar to a sunburn. These side effects usually will decrease after treatment has ended, although long-term side effects such as changes in the color, texture, or firmness of the skin, and breast swelling can sometimes persist.

IMRT is a specialized type of radiation therapy in which the radiation beam can be broken up into many beamlets, and the intensity of each beamlet can be adjusted individually. This allows radiation oncologists to more precisely shape the beam of radiation to better fit the individual contours of a women's breast while avoiding a dose to adjacent organs. With IMRT, the radiation dose to the breast is more uniformly distributed throughout the breast, minimizing hot spots.

Physicians at William Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak, MI, USA) evaluated 172 women with early stage breast cancer as part of this study. The patients were divided into two groups; the first group (54%) received IMRT, while the second group (46%) received conventional wedged-based radiation and served as the control group for the study.

Researchers specifically looked for alteration in the breast directly associated with radiation therapy. They evaluated the instances of dermatitis (reddened or itchy skin), breast edema (swelling), and hyperpigmentation (changes in skin color) on the breast, and the correlation between these side effects and the type of radiation treatment given.

Overall, women who received IMRT reported significantly fewer breast-related side effects compared to the women who received traditional radiation therapy. Of the women who received IMRT, less than half (41%) had notable reddened or itchy skin, as compared to 85% of women receiving traditional radiation.

Only 1% of the IMRT group had breast swelling compared to the 28% affected in the other group. Changes in skin color were experienced in 5% of the IMRT group, where 50% of the women in the conventional group saw hyperpigmentation. Pain was equally attributed in both groups, with 8% of the women in both groups encountering pain as a result of the treatment.

The study was published in the August 1, 2007, issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics.


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