A PROSPECTIVE STUDY TO COMPARE HYPO-FRACTIONATED RADIOTHERAPY VERSUS CONVENTIONAL RADIOTHERAPY IN CARCINOMA BREAST

Background: The standard management of operable LABC is by initial modified radical mastectomy. Because of the high risk of metastasis, systemic therapy is involved as an additional integral part of treatment. The postmastectomy radiation is given to reduce the high risk (20-40%) of loco-regional relapse following adjuvant systemic therapy. The loco-regional control ranges from 85% to 90% for 10 years survival of 40% to 50% for operable stage III breast cancer treated through modified radical mastectomy, adjuvant systemic therapy, and post-mastectomy radiation. Objective: The Aim and objective of the study were to compare the loco-regional response in two arms for 4 weeks after completion of radiation therapy and at the end of six months of follow up and to compare acute and chronic toxicities in the two arms. Methods: In this study, patients with histopathologically established breast cancer were selected from out-patient Department of J. K. Cancer Institute Kanpur and were placed randomly into two different arms. Arm A delivered “40 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks,” and Arm B delivered “50 Gy in 25 fractions over 5weeks”. Results: The study summarises that a radiotherapy schedule delivering 40 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks seems to offer significantly less acute toxicity as well as cosmetic appearance statistically significant, however in terms of loco-regional recurrence as well as distant recurrence 40 Gy schedule appears to be less effective especially in advanced stages, although data was statistically not significant. Conclusion: A long term follows up on the patients of this study will analyze the exact figure of locoregional relapse as well as distant relapse.