Background: The standard technique of postoperative radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery is percutaneous irradiation of the entire breast to a total dose of 45-50 Gy which is usually followed by a tumor bed boost. Since the majority of local recurrences in selected patients occur close to the former tumor bed, the question arises whether a sole tumor bed irradiation might be a therapeutic alternative to total breast irradiation.
Methods: A systematic review of relevant literature concerning partial breast irradiation (PBI) up to November 2004 was undertaken. Studies of any design were included for comparison and discussion.
Results: Nine unique brachytherapy studies using the multi-catheter technique, one the balloon technique (MammoSite), and eight particular intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) trials were located of which only one was a randomized trial. Only minor postoperative complications were reported. Preliminary results are similar in terms of local tumor control, disease-free and overall survival. However, the current evidence base of IORT studies is poor.
Conclusion: Despite controversies regarding PBI after breast-conserving surgery, results of phase I-II trials suggest that sole tumor bed irradiation might be an appropriate therapeutic alternative for selected breast cancer patients. However, more experience and data from ongoing phase III trials are required to define these new methods to be an appropriate treatment option. Therefore, total breast irradiation still remains the standard irradiation modality even in the treatment of early breast cancer, and PBI should be considered investigational.