Plesiobrachytherapy for chest wall recurrences of breast cancer after mastectomy and radiotherapy for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the results of high-dose-rate plesiobrachytherapy for local relapse after mastectomy and radiotherapy in terms of both local control and survival. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively 43 patients who experienced a chest wall relapse of breast cancer after local excision (22 patients) or not (21 patients). Patients were treated with an individually designed mold with four to six fractions of 3-6 Gy high-dose-rate brachytherapy, two fractions per week. Mean total dose was 24 Gy. RESULTS: After surgical resection, the 3- and 5-year local control rates were 80% and 73%, respectively. For nonresectable patients, the overall response rate was 86%, and the 3-year infield local control and chest wall local control were 51% and 26%, respectively. The 5-year survival rate was 50.5% for the whole population, 62% after surgery, and 45.4% for irresectable patients. Acute Grade 2 or 3 toxicity occurred in 43% of the patients, resolving in a few days. Two patients had a local necrosis lasting 3 to 7 months. Late toxicity was observed in 5 patients. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose-rate plesiobrachytherapy is a simple outpatient technique to treat chest wall local relapse of breast cancer. As a reirradiation technique, its tolerance is acceptable. This technique may obtain long-term local control after incomplete surgery; in case of nonresectable disease, a high response rate was observed, which might improve the quality of life of these patients.

Evolution of radiation techniques in the treatment of mediastinal lymphoma: from 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) to intensity-modulated RT (IMRT) using helical tomotherapy (HT): a single-centre experience and review of the literature.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate radiation techniques and their toxicity in the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) with mediastinal disease over a 10-year period. METHODS: Between 2003 and 2015, 173 patients with Stage I-III nodal lymphoma were treated in our institution: some of these patients were irradiated for HL or NHL with mediastinal disease. Some of the patients were treated by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), others by intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). RESULTS: We studied 26 males and 43 females with a median age of 26 years. The median follow-up was 43 months. 49 patients were treated by 3DCRT and 20 patients by IMRT. The median dose received by patients treated for NHL was 40 Gy (range: 36-44 Gy), and the median dose received by patients with HL was 30 Gy (range: 30-36 Gy). Between 2003 and 2006, 16 patients were treated by 3DCRT vs 0 patients by IMRT. Between 2007 and 2009, 16 patients received 3DCRT and one patient received IMRT. Between 2010 and 2015, 19 patients received IMRT, and no patients received 3DCRT. 11 of the 20 (55%) patients treated by IMRT and 35 of the 49 (71.4%) patients treated by 3DCRT experienced acute toxicity. Among the patients treated by 3DCRT, one patient experienced Grade 1 radiation pneumonitis and two patients experienced Grade 1 acute mucositis. No late toxicity was observed in patients treated by IMRT. CONCLUSION: Improvement of radiation techniques for HL and NHL appears to have improved acute and late clinical safety. Longer follow-up is necessary to evaluate very late toxicity. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE: Improvement of radiation techniques for HL and NHL appears to improve the tolerance.