High-dose-rate brachytherapy for breast cancer: a patient-specific approach - first results

The study purpose was to demonstrate developed treatment scheme for breast cancer high-dose-rate brachytherapy with 192Ir and evaluate received radiation exposure. The results of research are discussed in the paper. Thirty patients of median age of 63 years with diagnosed T1N0M0 breast cancer received treatment between August, 2017 and June, 2019 in A. Tsyb MRRC. All patients underwent lumpectomy followed by accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) with single radiation dose of 3.4 Gy and total dose of 34 Gy. A patient received two fractions of irradiation daily, the interval between them was no less than 6 hours. The treatment duration was 5 days. The treatment outcomes were assessed in terms of the treatment planning including radiation exposure to the target, healthy tissues and organs-at-risk. The study highlighted that determined dosimetric parameters correspond to those given in the approved treatment protocol and meet the international recommendations. As the result of this research it is shown that treatment plan for each patient should be developed individually. Since the follow-up period is small, further studies will be conducted. This will allow early detection of toxic effects of brachytherapy and the analysis of living status.