Advances in Breast Cancer Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy remains an integral component in the treatment of all stages of breast cancer which is the leading cause of cancer worldwide for women. We aimed to identify and characterize clinical trials in radiation therapy that have led to changes in practice essential for every physician who treats breast cancer. Hypofractionation, accelerated partial breast irradiation, and prone positioning have led to shorter treatment times and decreased toxicity for early-stage breast cancer patients. For patients with nodal metastasis, regional nodal radiation has improved disease-free survival and local recurrence in most breast cancer subtypes. The role of radiation in metastatic disease is transitioning from palliation alone to ablative therapy in patients with oligometastatic disease. Radiation therapy remains a pillar in the management of breast cancer. Research published since 2015 has established new standards of care in the delivery of radiation therapy to breast cancer patients. Ongoing trials and future work seek to evaluate who benefits most, whom therapy can be avoided, and the expanding role in definitive treatment of metastatic disease.