Choosing Wisely Campaign: Radiographic Surveillance in Triple Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

including local control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were collected. Results: Fifty-two patients underwent IM-APBI without breath holding following partial mastectomy. Thirty-seven eligible patients (71%) were reached by telephone and agreed to participate in the survey. Of participating patients, 3 (8%) and 1 (3%) reported skin hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation, respectively. Five patients (13%) reported skin thickening after treatment, and seven (19%) reported decreased breast size following radiation therapy. Overall satisfaction with appearance of the treated breast after completion of therapy was very high, with 35 patients (95%) reporting either "excellent" or "good" cosmesis, defined at a median follow-up of 37 months. Only two patients (5%) reported "fair" cosmesis when surveyed. Local control, disease-free survival, and overall survival were all 100% at follow-up. Conclusion: Intensity modulated APBI represents a safe and cosmetically acceptable means of delivering adjuvant radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer. As with adjuvant whole breast radiation therapy using IMRT, intensity modulated radiation may offer an improved cosmetic outcome as compared to the 3D conformal-based technique.