In patients who later develop chest wall recurrence , radiation therapy is often used (if the area was not previously treated with radiation), usually with a wide margin to kill the presumed microscopic tumor implants that could also be nearby. This therapy to localized recurrences may achieve permanent control over the cancer in up to half of patients.
Radiation is given daily, usually five days a week, over four to five weeks. The usual technique involves external beam radiation to the entire involved breast, sometimes with an additional booster dose to the tumor area. This boost may be given by an external beam or with radiation seeds surgically implanted directly into the tumor area (brachytherapy).
• In Metastatic Disease Radiation is often used in treating metastatic disease, both to shrink tumors and to
relieve local symptoms such as pressure or pain. If metastatic bone lesions occur in a weight bearing bone such
as the leg, for example, the bone may fracture with very little injury. This is called a pathologic fracture. Such
areas are usually given radiation to help heal the bone, decrease pain and control local spread of the tumor.
If a bone lesion is extensive, there may be a significant risk of pathologic fracture during the next several months it might take to complete radiation therapy and healing. An orthopedic surgeon is often called in to determine if a fixation device such as a rod or plate surgically placed over the cancerous bone to stabilize it should be used to minimize the risk of fracture during this time.
