Safety of hypofractionated volumetric modulated arc therapy for early breast cancer: A preliminary report

The present study attempts to evaluate the acute and subacute toxicities of hypofractionated volumetric modulated arc therapy (HFX–VMAT) in patients with early breast cancer (EBC). It is a retrospective analysis of 23 patients treated with HFX–VMAT after breast-conserving surgery between September 2021 and February 2022. A total dose of 50.05 to 52.55 Gy was delivered, consisting of 40.05 Gy to the ipsilateral whole breast in 15 fractions of 2.67 Gy and a tumor bed boost dose of 10–12.5 Gy in 4–5 fractions. The primary endpoint was acute/subacute radiation pneumonitis (RP). The secondary endpoint was poor cosmesis, indicating acute/subacute radiation dermatitis. Chest computed tomography (CT) and the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.5.0 were used to assess acute and subacute RP and dermatitis, respectively, during radiotherapy (RT) and at 3- and 6-months post-RT. The median follow-up duration was 3.8 months (range, 2.3-4.2). A total of seven patients developed RP. None of these patients presented RP-related symptoms; the diagnosis was based on radiologic findings observed on follow-up chest CT. Among the seven patients with RP, five had right-sided, and two had left-sided breast tumors (71.4 vs. 28.6%; P=0.026). Grade 1 erythema was observed in 19 patients (82.6%) and grade 2 erythema in four (17.4%). The mean target dose, D(105%) (the dose received by 105% of the target volume), homogeneity index, mean lung dose, ipsilateral lung V(20) (the percentage volume receiving 20 Gy), and V(30) (the percentage volume receiving 30 Gy) for ipsilateral whole breast RT were significantly associated with RP (P=0.039, 0.047, 0.018, 0.015, 0.018 and 0.003, respectively.). HFX–VMAT showed tolerable acute/subacute toxicities. Therefore, HFX–VMAT is an effective and safe treatment option for EBC.