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Radiation Therapy for Early and Advanced Breast Disease

  • Chapter
Breast Cancer

Part of the book series: M. D. Anderson Cancer Care Series ((MDCCS))

Abstract

Radiation therapy is an important tool in the treatment of women with breast cancer. For patients with in situ carcinoma and early invasive carcinoma, radiation therapy plays a central role in breast conservation therapy. For many patients with intermediate and locally advanced disease, the use of radiation therapy after mastectomy results in a two-thirds reduction in local-regional recurrence rates. In patients at high risk for recurrence, this improved local-regional control contributes substantially to improved disease-free survival, as shown by large prospective trials. Radiation therapy also plays an important role in the treatment of inflammatory carcinoma, local-regionally recurrent carcinoma, and unknown primary carcinomas involving the axillary nodes. Finally, the judicious use of radiation therapy in patients with symptomatic metastases materially improves the patients’ quality of life and helps them maintain a high level of function.

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Authors
  1. Eric A. Strom
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgical Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, 77030-4009, Houston, TX, USA

    Kelly K. Hunt M.D.

  2. Department of Plastic Surgery, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, 77030-4009, Houston, TX, USA

    Geoffrey L. Robb M.D.

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, 77030-4009, Houston, TX, USA

    Eric A. Strom M.D.

  4. Department of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, 77030-4009, Houston, TX, USA

    Naoto T. Ueno M.D., Ph.D.

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© 2001 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Strom, E.A. (2001). Radiation Therapy for Early and Advanced Breast Disease. In: Hunt, K.K., Robb, G.L., Strom, E.A., Ueno, N.T. (eds) Breast Cancer. M. D. Anderson Cancer Care Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21842-7_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-21842-7_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-95190-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-21842-7

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