Breast Cancer - How Advantageous Or Detrimental Is Brachytherapy?

An investigation published December 16th in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reveals that over the last several years in the U.S., accelerated partial breast irradiation using brachytherapy (APBIb) for treating breast cancer has increased rapidly as an alternative treatment to conventional whole-breast irradiation (WBI).

APBI delivers a high dose of radiation to areas of the breast where cancer is most likely to recur. There are various techniques to accomplish the administration of APBI, such as intraoperative radiotherapy, external beam radiation, intracavitary brachytherapy using a ballon catheter, or brachytherapy using multiple interstitial catheters. Advantages of these methods include:

- Less radiation to healthy areas in the breast and normal tissue
- Shorter treatment time

Disadvantages include:
The chance of cancerous cells in different parts of the breast not receiving radiation, which may lead to increased local recurrence

Due to the possible limitations of APBI, a task force of breast cancer experts were brought together in 2009 by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) to develop criteria for use of APBI off-protocol. Three groups of APBI appropriateness were proposed by the experts: cautionary, unsuitable, suitable, and based on clinical factors and patient characteristics.

As the popularity of APBIb in particular has increased over the years, Jona Hattangadi of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues, decided to conduct a retrospective study.

The Genetic Link to Cancer The two most common forms of cancer detected among women are skin and breast cancer. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death associated with cancer following lung cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Each year more than 40,000 patients will die from breast cancer, with this number rising among women over 50 years of age. One reason is most women's health declines and immune systems simply do not fight back the way they used to as women age.

Family History and Breast Cancer Statistics

The National Cancer Institute summarizes multiple studies, all of which suggest women with a family history of breast cancer are more at risk than others. For example, according to the NCI, if a woman has a mother or sister with breast cancer, their risk for developing breast cancer may rise by as much as ten percent.

You are at greater risk for developing breast cancer if multiple people in your family have cancer. Cohort studies support this phenomenon. One reason researchers struggle to find a cure for breast cancer is they are working hard to identify and treat the genetic link that puts some women at greater risk for cancer than others.