Variation in the Delivery of Breast Boosts in Adjuvant Radiotherapy Across the UK

Abstract

Purpose: Breast tumour bed boosts are used as an adjunct to standard adjuvant radiotherapy for a proportion of patients (a recent RCR consensus document states this includes all patients with invasive breast cancer who are less than 50 years old, and to be considered if over 50 years with higher risk pathological features [1]). The benefits of tumour bed boosts were demonstrated in EORTC Boost, with a reduced rate of local recurrence [2]. There is no universally accepted dose and fractionation for breast boosts, and with the move towards intensity-modulated radiotherapy in some centres, simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) use may well increase pending the results of IMPORT HIGH. We set out to gain information about different practice for breast boosts across the UK.