A 10-year review of radiotherapy results in a homogenously-treated group of 1084 breast cancer patients

Background: We evaluated the results of adjuvant radiotherapy of breast cancer in Marie Curie Radiation Oncology Clinic within a 10-year period during which all patients were irradiated in a homogenous manner with identical techniques. Methods: Files of all patients with breast cancer treated by adjuvant radiotherapy after surgery with or without chemotherapy in a curative setting during the period of 1994-2004 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 1084 patients with breast cancer had been treated by radiotherapy in the study centre. The median age at the time of radiotherapy was 49 ± 11 years (range 24-80 years). All patients had received breast irradiation by a cobalt-60 unit; 485 patients (45%) had been treated by tangential and supraclavicular plus posterior axillary fields, 119 (11%) by the same fields plus a tumor bed boost field, 120 (11%) with tangential fields only and 360 patients (33%) by tangential and boost fields. The mean follow-up period was 27.5±24 (range 1-132) months. From 1084 patients, 119 patients (11%) developed metastasis Only 15 patients (1%) developed local recurrence.The mean DFS was 89 months in patients younger than 50 years and 107 months in patients aged 50 years and older (P=0.003, log-rank test). Conclusion.In conclusion, evaluation of the results of homogenized breast cancer radiotherapy in the study centre revealed disease-free survival comparable with the international literature; the only factors with a significant effect on survival were stage and age