A prospective comparative study between hypofractionated radiotherapy of 3 weeks versus 1 week in the treatment of breast carcinoma
Tanmoy Basak, Linkon Biswas, Sumitava De, Arpan KhatuaAbstract
Background:
Hypofractionated radiotherapy (40 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks) is currently the standard protocol in managing breast cancer. Recently, ultra-hypofractionated radiotherapy (26 Gy in five fractions over 1 week) has been increasingly adopted. This study aimed to compare dosimetric parameters, acute toxicity, and patient compliance between hypofractionated radiotherapy schedules delivered over 3 weeks and 1 week.
Materials and Methods:
This was a prospective, two-arm study conducted at a single institution among patients with breast carcinoma attending the Department of Radiotherapy from November 2022 to June 2024. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups: the study group received 26 Gy in five fractions over 1 week, while the comparison group received 40 Gy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks. The study evaluated and compared acute toxicity profiles, patient compliance, and dose constraints between both groups.
Results:
The occurrence of both Grade 1 and Grade 2 acute skin toxicity was slightly lower in the 26 Gy schedule compared with the 40 Gy/15 fractions schedule (45.3% vs. 47.8% and 29.7% vs. 39.1%, respectively). The average lung V20 was significantly lower in the study group (9.94 ± 7.9 Gy vs. 28.41 ± 5.5 Gy,
Conclusion:
The 1-week ultra-hypofractionated radiotherapy schedule appears as effective as the 3-week hypofractionated regimen in achieving disease control, with a similar acute event profile.