Feasibility Study of Accelerated Preoperative Radiotherapy for Early Breast Cancer

Overview

The standard treatment for women with a relatively small breast cancer without arguments for involvement of the axillary lymph nodes, is breast conserving surgery followed by radiotherapy of the whole breast, often with a complementary dose to the operated area (boost). A delay of 3-4 weeks after surgery is advisable for allowing wound healing before the start of radiotherapy. Historically, whole breast radiotherapy plus boost are delivered in 6-7 weeks. This treatment can be associated with temporary fatigue and decrease in quality of life. Randomized trials have shown that shorter schedules, delivering slightly more dose per day during 3 weeks, are equal to the long schedules. In an earlier clinical study, the investigators have tested such a short schedule and shown that it is equally safe and equally well tolerated as the conventional schemes. Other hospitals have examined (and still are examining) the safety and tolerance of even shorter schedules, delivering radiotherapy in 1 week. This clinical study involves delivering radiotherapy in 1 week and before the surgery in stead of following surgery. In the postoperative setting, it is often debatable which volume should be included in the boost. Often boost-volumes remain large because of uncertainties in delineation. Preoperative radiotherapy has the advantage that the tumor is visible on imaging. This can result in smaller boost volumes. The surgery will follow shortly after termination of the radiotherapy, resulting in a very short treatment period. This study is an open study investigating the effect on quality of life of a very short preoperative radiotherapy for early breast cancer.

Women with early breast cancer are treated with breast conserving surgery (BCS) followed by whole breast irradiation (WBI) and a complementary dose to the lumpectomy cavity (boost). A delay of 3-4 weeks after surgery is advisable for allowing wound healing before the start of radiotherapy. Historically, WBI plus boost are delivered in 6-7 weeks. This treatment is associated with fatigue and a decreased quality of life. Randomized trials have shown that shorter hypofractionated schedules, delivering radiotherapy in 3 weeks, are equal to the long schedules. The investigators have shown that a hypofractionated tomotherapy with a simultaneous integrated boost is oncologically safe, well tolerated and has less impact on quality of life than the conventional schemes. In the postoperative setting, it is often debatable which volume should be included in the boost. Surgical clips can help to decrease inter-observer variability, but often boost-volumes remain large because of uncertainties in delineation. Preoperative radiotherapy has the advantage that the gross tumor volume (GTV) is visible on imaging. This can result in smaller boost volumes. The aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of a short preoperative tomotherapy. The potential benefits are * a decrease in overall treatment time * a positive effect on quality of life * a more precise target delineation * profitable health economics.