Welcome to Medivizor!

You're browsing our sample library. Feel free to continue browsing. You can also sign up for free to receive medical information specific to your situation.

Posted by on Jul 18, 2018 in Breast cancer | 0 comments

In a nutshell

This study aimed to find out which type of radiation therapy was safest for the skin in the treatment of breast cancer. The authors found that Image-Guided Radiation Therapy treatment resulted in less severe skin damage compared to the intensity-modulated type.

Some background

Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) is the use of scanning images to deliver more accurate radiotherapy treatment. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy can vary the strength of the treatment dose. A side effect of radiotherapy for breast cancer can be damage to the skin leading to pain and inflammation. It is important to research the best type of radiation therapy for these patients.

Methods & findings

This study consisted of 458 women who underwent radiotherapy for breast cancer. 302 (64%) women received IMRT and 156 (36%) received IGRT.

75 (24.8%) of the IMRT group and 22 (14.1%) of the IGRT group experienced some skin damage. This was severe in 2% of the IMRT group. The patients in the IGRT group had less severe skin side effects than the IMRT group

The bottom line

The study concluded that IGRT is safer for the skin than IMRT in the treatment of breast cancer.

The fine print

This was a small study of previously held information which may have affected accuracy of data and results.

What’s next?

Women looking to undergo breast cancer treatment should be aware of the results of this study.

Published By :

Cancer Medicine

Date :

Jul 03, 2018

Original Title :

Compared with intensity-modulated radiotherapy, image-guided radiotherapy reduces severity of acute radiation-induced skin toxicity during radiotherapy in patients with breast cancer.

click here to get personalized updates