Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer

Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer MOTP Seminar January 2009 Jacqueline Spayne MD PhD FRCPC Department of Radiation Oncology Odette Cancer Centre

Radiation Treatment in Breast Cancer • Adjuvant Radiotherapy • Toxicities • Controversies • Salvage Radiation • RT for recurrence & metastases

Radiation Treatment in Breast Cancer • Adjuvant Radiotherapy Breast conserving therapy Post-mastectomy Radiation target volumes • Toxicities • Controversies • Salvage Radiation • RT for recurrence & metastases

Adjuvant radiation following breast conserving surgery (BCS) in early breast cancer (EBC) • 6 (important) RCTs of mastectomy vs lumpectomy + XRT • Equivalent OS and acceptable LC

From CCO Guidelines, see: http://www.cancercare.on.ca/pdf/full1_2.pdf

Adjuvant radiation following BCS in EBC • 4 RCTs of Lumpectomy +/- XRT

Adjuvant radiation following BCS in EBC From CCO Guidelines, see: http://www.cancercare.on.ca/pdf/full1_2.pdf

Adjuvant radiation following BCS in EBCMeta-analyses • EBCTCG Lancet 2000/Cochrane2002 - 40 trials – 1950s-1980s (inc some mastectomy) - 10yr LRR reduced from 27% to 9% - 5% absolute breast cancer mortality benefit - No OS benefit with increased non-BC deaths • Vinh-Hung JNCI 2004 - 15 trials (BCS only) - IBT recurrence RR 3.00 with no RT - 8.6% mortality benefit with RT

Post-mastectomy Radiation RCTs of mastectomy +/- XRT Danish premenopausal (Overgaard NEJM 97) 10y LRR 10y OS CMF 32% 45% CMF+RT 9% 54% Danish post-menopausal (Overgaard Lancet 99) 10y LRR 10y OS Tam 35% 36% Tam+RT 8% 45%

Post-mastectomy Radiation BC Trial – 20yr update (Ragaz JNCI 2005) 318 Premenopausal N+, CMF chemo LRR-free Survival

Postmastectomy Radiation BC Trial – 20yr update (Ragaz JNCI 2005) 318 Premenopausal N+, CMF chemo Overall Survival

Post-mastectomy Radiation Meta-analysis EBCTCG Lancet 2005

Post-mastectomy Radiation Meta-analysis Gebski et al JNCI 2006

Post-mastectomy Radiation Indications • Node positive • T3, T4 • Other risk factors • Grade 3 • +LVI • Positive margins

Adjuvant radiation in Breast Cancer – Target Volumes • RT-geekspeak – GTV, CTV, PTV • Post BCS • Breast, underlying chest wall • Post-mastectomy • Chest wall • N2 disease • Supra-clavicular fossa • ?Axilla, IMN

Radiation in Breast Cancer - Toxicity • Breast tangents alone – RT well tolerated • Acute - common • Skin • Fatigue • Sub-acute – very rare • Pneumonitis • Late – very rare • Lung • Cardiac • 2nd malignancies • Except - Pigmentation, fibrosis, telangiectasia – up to 30% depends on technique

Radiation in Breast Cancer - Toxicity • Additional late toxicity of nodal irradiation • Lymphedema • BC trial – 9% vs 3%; Danish trials – 14% vs 3% • Pneumonitis • BC trial – 1 patient (0.6%) • Impaired shoulder ROM • Danish trials – 16% vs 2%

Radiation in Breast Cancer - Toxicity • Additional late toxicity of nodal irradiation cont’d • Asymptomatic lung fibrosis • Danish trial – 60% vs ?0% • Chronic pulmonary symptoms – ?? • Neurological • Danish trial - paresthesia/hyperesthesia 21% vs 7% • slight decreased strength – 14% vs 2%

Adjuvant RT in Breast Cancer - Controversies • Omission of radiation in selected patients • RT protocols - Fractionation & boost • Partial breast radiation • Nodal radiation for 1-3 LN+ • Radiation of IMC nodes • 3 vs 4 field for supraclavicular fossa • Patient selection after neo-adjuvant chemo

Can adjuvant RT be omitted in some patients? • Canadian trial (Fyles NEJM 2004) 769 pts, >50y, T1/2N0, clear margins, on Tam 5y LR 5yDFS 5y OS All pts – no RT 7.7% 84% 93% All pts - + RT 0.6%* 91%* 93% (NS) T1 ER+ - no RT 5.9% T1 ER+ - + RT 0.4%* >60y, T</=1cm, ER+ - no RT 1.2% (Unplanned analysis) >60y, T</=1cm, ER+ - +RT 0% NS

Can adjuvant RT be omitted in some patients? • CALGB C9343 (Hughes NEJM 2004) 636 pts, >70y, T1N0, clear margins, ER+, on Tamoxifen 5y LRR 5y OS No RT 4% 86% +RT 1%* 87%

Radiation Protocols • Standard adjuvant treatment – 50Gy in 25 fractions • Canadian hypofractionation trial (Whelan JNCI 2002) 4250/16 equivalent to 5000/25 to breast only in selected pts • EORTC boost trial (Bartelink NEJM 2001) 50/25 50/25+16/8boost LR all pts 7.3% 4.3%* </=40y 19.5% 10.2%* 41-50 9.5% 5.8%* >50 4.1% 3%NS

Partial Breast Radiation • Techniques • Intra-operative (Mammosite) • Catheter HDR • Seeds • External beam • Short-term follow-up only • Remains experimental

Adjuvant RT in Breast Cancer - Controversies • Omission of radiation in selected patients • RT protocols - Fractionation & boost • Partial breast radiation • Nodal radiation for 1-3 LN+ • Nodal radiation fields • Patient selection after neo-adjuvant chemo

Nodal irradiation with 1-3 +ve nodes • Post-lumpectomy – no • Consider if: • <4-6 (?) nodes dissected • Other bad prognostic features (eg large T, LVI, young, ECE) • MA20 trial - closed • Post-mastectomy • Guidelines equivocal • Meta-analysis supports chest-wall radiation for N1

Adjuvant RT in Breast Cancer - Controversies • Omission of radiation in selected patients • RT protocols - Fractionation & boost • Partial breast radiation • Nodal radiation for 1-3 LN+ • Nodal radiation fields • Patient selection after neo-adjuvant chemo

Nodal radiation fields • Radiation of IMC chains • Most trials included IMC • Practice variable • Usually only include with IQ tumours and/or N+++ • Techniques variable – risk of increased toxicity • Addition of posterior SC (deep axillary) field • Inadequate axillary clearance • ??ECE • Toxicity risk

Adjuvant RT in Breast Cancer - Controversies • Omission of radiation in selected patients • RT protocols - Fractionation & boost • Partial breast radiation • Nodal radiation • Indications: N1 vs N2; post BCS vs post-mastectomy • Target nodes: axilla, SCF, IMC • Patient selection after neo-adjuvant chemo

Adjuvant Radiation after Neoadjuvant Chemo • No randomized data • MDACC 6 neoadjuvant chemo trials 542 patients chemo, mast’y, + RT vs 134 patients chemo, mast’y, no RT Huang et al JCO 2004

Adjuvant Radiation after Neoadjuvant Chemo Huang et al JCO 2004

Adjuvant Radiation after Neoadjuvant ChemoCause-Specific Survival – Stage 3B Huang et al JCO 2004

Adjuvant Radiation after Neoadjuvant Chemo…….even after pCR McGuire et al in press

Adjuvant Radiation after Neoadjuvant Chemo • Policy • All LABC patients offered adjuvant radiation • Chest wall + regional lymph nodes

Salvage Radiation for Breast Cancer • Can have dramatic responses • Huang et al IJROBP 2002 38 inoperable patients after anthracycline regimen

Salvage Radiation for Breast Cancer 38 patients inoperable after chemo  Loco-regional radiation  32 had mastectomy  6 year follow-up 5 LRR alone 21 distant mets 3 both 9 disease free Huang et al IJROBP 2002

Neoadjuvant Radiation for Breast Cancer • TRIAL • Neoadjuvant concurrent chemoradiation in LABC

Radiation for Recurrence & Metastases • Recurrence • In-breast → mastectomy • Chestwall→ consider radiation depends on previous treatment, time interval, prognosis, other treatment options etc • Metastases • Whole other topic!!!!

QUESTIONS……..

Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer