ASTRO Issues New Clinical Guideline for Whole-Breast Radiation Therapy
Posted: Tuesday, May 8, 2018
In a new clinical guideline for the use of whole-breast radiation therapy for breast cancer, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) expanded the population of patients recommended to receive hypofractionated therapy. Benjamin D. Smith, MD, Co-Chair of the Guideline Task Force and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and colleagues recommend hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation for patients regardless of age, tumor stage, or chemotherapy. This latest guideline, which replaces the guideline published in 2011, was reported in Practical Radiation Oncology.
“Hypofractionated radiation therapy offers patients a more convenient and lower-cost option for their treatment without compromising the likelihood that their cancer will return or increasing their risk of side effects,” said Co-Chair of the Guideline Task Force Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, of the University of Michigan, in an ASTRO press release. “We hope this guideline encourages providers to counsel their patients on options including hypofractionation.”
ASTRO researchers used a systematic literature review of studies published from January 2009 through January 2016 to complete the new guideline. It addresses several areas: dose fractionation for whole-breast irradiation, indications and dose fractionation for tumor bed boost, and treatment planning techniques for therapy and tumor bed boost. Decisions about boost radiation should consider patient, tumor, and treatment factors.
