A radiation boost, also known as a radiotherapy boost, is not recommended for everybreast cancerpatient.
What Is a Radiation Boost?
The radiation boost may be given afterradiation for breast canceris complete.
Mark Kostich / Getty Images
However, radiation boosts aren’t always a part of breast cancer treatment.
Who Should Get a Radiation Boost?
A radiation boost is not necessary for every person who receives radiation therapy for breast cancer.
The common recommendation is to administer boost radiation every weekday for between four and eight days.
This boost follows a standard three-to-five-week whole breast irradiation treatment session.
Those who have a boost are more likely to experience complications following reconstructive surgery.
Side Effects
A radiation boost is associated with similarradiation side effectsthat occur with standard radiation therapy.
There include short-term and long-term side effects.
This recommendation is based on guidelines developed based on age, margin status, and cancer grade.
But the boost hasn’t proven to increase long-term survival.
Cancers (Basel).
2022 Mar 24;14(7):1643. doi: 10.3390/cancers14071643.
Dzhugashvili M, Veldeman L, Kirby AM.The role of the radiation therapy breast boost in the 2020s.Breast.
2018;8(3):145-152. doi:10.1016/j.prro.2018.01.012
National Cancer Institute.
Shorter Course of Radiation Is Effective,Safe for Some with Early-Stage Breast Cancer.
2017;11:CD011987.
