Breast cancer radiotherapy: From five weeks to just five days

Metro India News | Hyderabad

Breast cancer radiotherapy has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past few decades, with treatment that once required nearly five weeks of daily hospital visits now potentially being completed in just five sessions for appropriately selected patients. According to Dr Vinitha Reddy Paleai, Consultant Radiation Oncologist, Apollo Hospitals, Financial District, advances in radiobiology, radiation technology and treatment planning have made it possible to safely deliver higher doses of radiation per session while maintaining the principles of effective cancer treatment.

“With growing evidence from radiobiology, treatment schedules evolved to hypo fractionation, involving around 15–16 treatments over three weeks. Today, ultra-hypo fractionated schedules can allow selected patients to complete treatment in just five sessions, generally over one week,” Dr Vinitha Reddy Paleai said.

Modern radiation-delivery systems and sophisticated treatment-planning techniques allow oncologists to precisely target the area requiring treatment while limiting radiation exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.  The journey from five weeks of radiotherapy to potentially just five treatments reflects the broader shift towards personalized cancer care. The focus is increasingly on delivering the right treatment, in the right dose, to the right patient, while minimizing unnecessary disruption to daily life. For appropriately selected women with breast cancer, modern radiotherapy can therefore be shorter, highly precise and considerably less disruptive, while continuing to uphold the fundamental goals of safe and effective cancer care.