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Purpose To evaluate the long-term toxicity, cosmesis, and local control of accelerated partial breast irradiation with implant brachytherapy after wide local excision for Stage T1N0 breast cancer (BCa). Materials and Methods Between 1997 and 2001, 50 patients with Stage T1N0M0 BCa were treated in a Phase I–II protocol using low-dose-rate accelerated partial breast irradiation with implant brachytherapy after wide local excision and lymph node surgery. The total dose was escalated in three groups: 50 Gy (n = 20), 55 Gy (n = 17), and 60 Gy (n = 13). Patient- and physician-assessed breast cosmesis, patient satisfaction, toxicity, mammographic abnormalities, repeat biopsies, and disease status were prospectively evaluated at each visit. Kendall’s tau (τβ) and logistic regression analyses were used to correlate outcomes with dose, implant volume, patient age, and systemic therapy. Results The median follow-up period was 11.2 years (range, 4–14). The patient satisfaction rate was 67%, 67% reported good-excellent cosmesis, and 54% had moderate-severe fibrosis. Higher dose was correlated with worse cosmetic outcome (τβ 0.6, p < .0001), lower patient satisfaction (τβ 0.5, p < .001), and worse fibrosis (τβ 0.4, p = .0024). Of the 50 patients, 35% had fat necrosis and 34% developed telangiectasias ≥1 cm2. Grade 3–4 late skin and subcutaneous toxicities were seen in 4 patients (9%) and 6 patients (13%), respectively, and both correlated with higher dose (τβ 0.3–0.5, p ≤ .01). One patient had Grade 4 skin ulceration and fat necrosis requiring surgery. Mammographic abnormalities were seen in 32% of the patients, and 30% underwent repeat biopsy, of which 73% were benign. Six patients had ipsilateral breast recurrence: five elsewhere in the breast, and one at the implant site. One patient died of metastatic BCa after recurrence. The 12-year actuarial local control, recurrence-free survival, and overall survival rate was 85% (95% confidence interval, 70–97%), 72% (95% confidence interval, 54–86%), and 87% (95% confidence interval, 73–99%), respectively. Conclusion Low-dose-rate accelerated partial breast irradiation with implant brachytherapy provides acceptable local control in select early-stage BCa patients. However, treatment-related toxicity and cosmetic complications were significant with longer follow-up and at higher doses.

BACKGROUND Recurrent atypical and malignant meningiomas have poor outcomes with surgical therapy alone. Neither adjuvant chemotherapy nor postoperative radiation therapy remedies this problem. OBJECTIVE To evaluate our experience with the treatment of 15 patients treated with I-125 or Cs-131 brachytherapy radiation seeds as an adjuvant in these difficult cases. METHODS Patients with high-grade recurrent meningioma who underwent resection and intraoperative placement of brachytherapy seeds at our institution from 2002 to 2014 were identified and studied by retrospective chart review. RESULTS Fifteen patients with median age of 68.8 yr were treated with I-125 (n = 13) or Cs-131 (n = 2) brachytherapy seeds for cases of recurrent, grade II (n = 8), or grade III (n = 7) meningioma at our institution from 2002 to 2014. These lesions originated from a variety of locations including, convexity (3), falcine (3), frontal (2), occipital (1), parietal (2), 2 sphenoid wing (2), and temporal (2), based recurrent meningiomas. Patients had a median of 2 prior open surgical interventions and received local radiation therapy with a median dose of 55 Gy prior to brachytherapy. Survival at 2.5 yr was 56% for grade II and 17% for grade III lesions. Survival was significantly associated with patient age but not tumoral pathology. Forty percent of patients required reoperations for wound complications following brachytherapy. CONCLUSION Brachytherapy with implantation of permanent radiation seeds provides a viable alternative treatment for recurrent meningioma while carrying a significant clinical risk of wound infection and need for reoperation.

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