Minimising the risk: reducing breast tissue dose in an adolescent female

Abstract

Breast cancer is amongst the leading radiation‐associated, second malignancies that develop in patients after treatment for Hodgkin's disease. This risk is affected by two main factors: The age of the patient at the time of radiotherapy; and The dose received by the breast tissue The adolescent female thus faces an exceptionally high risk, as breast tissue at this age is undergoing rapid developmental growth and small doses of radiation exposure could be carcinogenic. This case report of a fifteen‐year‐old girl who received radiotherapy for Hodgkin's disease demonstrates how radiation therapists worked together with the radiation oncologists and medical physicists to provide an optimal treatment plan for a high‐risk patient.