Review Finds Similar Outcomes for Partial, Whole Breast Irradiation for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Partial Breast Irradiation for Breast Cancer, a new systematic review found no significant difference between partial breast irradiation (PBI) and whole breast irradiation (WBI) for early-stage breast cancer in same-side tumor recurrence, overall survival and cancer-free survival at five and 10 years.

The systematic review, from AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program, also found PBI had significantly fewer acute adverse events than WBI, though there was no apparent difference in late adverse events. In addition, the study found that PBI’s treatment regimen, which was shorter than the typical WBI regimen of 15–20 treatments over three to four weeks, was associated with lower transportation costs and fewer days away from work for patients. Radiotherapy is a widely used standard component of breast-conserving therapy for early-stage breast cancer. PBI was developed to provide a comparable treatment to the more traditional WBI but in a shorter time and with reduced radiation exposure to adjacent tissue.

Select to access Partial Breast Irradiation for Breast Cancer.