Key clinical point: Compared with whole breast irradiation (WBI), partial breast irradiation (PBI) led to a similar rate of ipsilateral breast recurrences (IBR) and demonstrated a better toxicity profile in patients with early-stage breast cancer (BC).
Major finding: Rate of IBR was comparable with PBI vs WBI at 5 years (relative risk [RR] 1.34; 95% CI 0.83-2.18) and 10 years (RR 1.29; 95% CI 0.87-1.91). Patients undergoing PBI vs WBI reported fewer acute adverse events (AE; incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.53; 95% CI 0.31-0.92) and acute grade ≥2 AE (IRR 0.21; 95% CI 0.07-0.62).
Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials and six comparative observational studies comparing any PBI modality with WBI in 17,234 adults with early-stage BC.
Disclosures: This study was supported by the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Shumway DA et al. Partial breast irradiation compared with whole breast irradiation: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2023 (Jun 8). doi: 10.1093/jnci/djad100