Breast pseudotumoral radionecrosis as a late radiation-induced injury: a case report

INTRODUCTION: New therapies and treatment protocols have led to improved survival rates in many cancers. The improved rates are such that patients are now living long enough to experience some negative long-term side effects of the initial therapy. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 65-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with a rare case of pseudotumoral radionecrosis, a late radiation-induced injury, after combined surgical and cobalt radiation therapy for the treatment of adenocarcinoma of the right breast. The patient underwent resection of this benign, yet progressively growing and painful tumor. A cosmetically satisfying result was achieved by reconstruction of the thoracic wall with a polypropylene mesh and a latissimus dorsi muscle flap. CONCLUSION: With improved overall survival, new management strategies for late side effects of therapy are becoming of crucial importance for affected patients. In the future, improving toxicity-free survival will be as important as achieving disease-free survival or local tumor control.