Background: Conventional early breast cancer treatment consists of lumpectomy followed by whole-breast irradiation (WBI) therapy. Accelerated partial-breast irradiation (APBI) is also an approach to post-lumpectomy radiation for early breast cancer.
Aim: The purpose of this study is to compare two different external-beam APBI techniques using three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT), with conventional whole-breast irradiation based on the radiation conformity index, dose homogeneity index, and dose to organs at risk.
Materials and methods: WBI treatment plans were compared with two different 3DCRT APBI plans for each of 15 patients (8 with right sided lesions, 7 with left sided lesions). The first APBI plan (APBI 1) used two small coplanar fields conformed to the planning target volume (PTV) using multileaf collimators (MLCs) and wedges, while the other APBI plan (APBI 2) used three non-coplanar fields conformed to the PTV using MLCs and wedges.
Results: Both the APBI techniques improved the conformity index significantly over whole-breast tangents while maintaining dose homogeneity and not causing significant increase in dose to organs at risk.
Conclusion: Both the 3DCRT APBI techniques are technically feasible and dosimetrically appealing,with better target coverage and relative sparing of normal critical organs.
Keywords: 3D conformal radiation therapy; Accelerated partial-breast irradiation; planning target volume; whole-breast irradiation.