Medknow Publications on behalf of the Association of Radiation Oncologists of India (AROI)
Abstract
Altered fractionation schedules are being increasingly investigated in
the treatment of breast cancer. Two such schedules that are frequently
compared are hypofractionated external beam radiation therapy (HERT)
and accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Though these two
modalities are considered separately, APBI is an actually an advanced
form of hypofractionation, where acceleration of the treatment is
possible due to the smaller volume being irradiated. HERT as well as
APBI are investigational at present and are being tested in randomized
trials. This article looks at the advantages of APBI as a
hypofractionation schedule