Partial risk.

Even when partial breast irradiation (PBI) is not done at an accelerated pace, one of the biggest draws remains decreased tissue irradiated. And theoretically (read: stochastically) speaking, this means less risk for secondary malignancies, which can be a big advantage particularly among women with fewer years and bigger breasts. A new dosimetric analysis paired with lifetime attributable risks reveals that it is actually the lungs that should most concern us. It demonstrates that scattered lung doses are exponentially higher with hypofractionated whole breast radiation than with PBI, translating to more than double the risk for secondary malignancy. Warning: for anyone out there wrestling with their faith in the book of Hall, this study’s not for you. TBL: The dosimetry of PBI leads to a fraction of the standard lung dose and half the stochastic risk of secondary cancer. | Hoekstra, Radiother Oncol 2018