Frontiers in radiotherapy for early-stage invasive breast cancer.

The development of breast-conserving treatment for early-stage breast cancer is one of the most important success stories in radiation oncology in the latter half of the twentieth century. Lumpectomy followed by radiotherapy provides an appealing alternative to mastectomy for many women. In recent years, there has been a shift in clinical investigational focus toward refinements in the methods of delivering adjuvant radiotherapy that provide shorter, more convenient schedules of external-beam radiotherapy and interstitial treatment. Expedited courses of whole-breast treatment have been demonstrated to be equivalent to traditional lengthier courses in terms of tumor control and cosmetic outcome and to provide an opportunity for cost efficiencies.