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Physics of Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation

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Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation

Breast conservation therapy is now widely accepted as a treatment option for most women with early-stage invasive breast cancer and most patients with ductal carcinoma in situ. Despite its superior cosmetic outcome, breast conservation therapy is complex and requires a treatment regimen of six weeks of daily external-beam radiation therapy to the whole breast. This often proves prohibitive for the working woman, elderly patients, and those who live a significant distance from a radiation treatment center. In addition, with the more frequent use of adjuvant therapy, substantial delays can be incurred prior to the initiation of systemic chemotherapy if a conventional fractionated course of irradiation is given first, or in the delivery of locoregional radiotherapy if chemotherapy is delivered beforehand. Most of the logistical problems associated with breast conservation therapy relate to the protracted course of external-beam radiotherapy delivered to the whole breast.

Recently, accelerated partial breast irradiation for breast cancer patients with brachytherapy or external beam as the sole radiation modality following lumpectomy has shown promising results for select early-stage breast cancer patients. In this technique, the radiation dose is delivered within and surrounding the original tumor site over 4–5 days, instead of the traditional six weeks of external beam to the entire breast. Both high dose rate and low dose rate brachytherapy are discussed in this chapter, as well as external beam for accelerated partial breast irradiation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Oncology, K4/B100, Clinical Sciences Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53792, USA

    Rupak K. Das

  2. Departments of Medical Physics and Human Oncology, 1530 Medical Sciences Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Bruce Thomadsen

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  1. Rupak K. Das
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  2. Bruce Thomadsen
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Correspondence to Rupak K. Das .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Tufts Medical Center, 750 Washington St., Boston, MA, 02111 NEMC 824, USA

    David E. Wazer

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, 980058, Richmond, VA, 23928, USA

    Douglas W. Arthur

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, William Beaumont Hospital, 3601 W. Thirteen Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI, 48072, USA

    Frank A. Vicini

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© 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Das, R.K., Thomadsen, B. (2009). Physics of Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation. In: Wazer, D.E., Arthur, D.W., Vicini, F.A. (eds) Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-88006-6_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-88006-6_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-88005-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-88006-6

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