Radiotherapic Treatment

Within Fondazione Poliambulanza radiation therapy for breast cancer is the most appropriated treatment, it is personalized and constantly updated about several clinical and surgical techniques in order to minimize risk and side effects.

In accordance with international guidelines, according to therapeutic programs for breast cancer, the intensity of the radiation beam can be modulated in multiple small volumes on the basis of the seriousness and the gravity of tumors. Some patients undergo a partial breast irradiation which will last for a week, while in others the radiation therapy, despite being shorter than the average duration, will last for less than for two weeks.

There are several positioning and immobilization solutions for radiotherapy patients and, in addition, they are optimized and choosen according to individual anatomy, for example the prone setup is the best choice in case of large breasts; while the deep inspiration breath hold is a technique used to deliver radiotherapy to the left breast ensuring that the entire area receive the full prescribed dose. It is also helpful to reduce any incidental radiation dose to the heart which would cause patients heart related problems years after chemioterapic treatment, for example. Regarding the most critical situations, for example patients who have undergone a mastectomy, in Fondazione Poliambulanza there are two commonly used state-of-the-heart radiation therapies: the so called Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) and the Volumetric Modulated Arc Radiotherapy (VMAT). Both of them could provide comparable target coverage and dose conformity.