Assessment of Radiation Induced Pneumonitis and Pericarditis in Patients Undergoing Breast Conservative Treatment Using Hypofractionated Simultaneous Integrated Boost Technique.

Abstract

Introduction: To determine the proportion of radiationinduced pneumonitis and pericarditis in patients who have received Hypo-fractionated Radiation along with simultaneous integrated boost technique after breast conservative surgery using a prospective observational study from a tertiary hospital.

Materials & methods: The incidence of radiationinduced pneumonitis and pericarditis was evaluated in all adult patients with biopsy-proven early-stage unilateral breast cancer who underwent breast-conserving surgery followed by hypo-fractionated radiation with a simultaneous integrated boost technique. Baseline assessments including a six-minute walk test, highresolution computed tomography (HRCT), pulmonary function tests (PFTs), electrocardiography (ECG) and echocardiography (ECHO) were performed. At three months post-radiation treatment, patients underwent follow-up assessments with a six-minute walk test, ECG and ECHO. At six months post-radiation treatment, patients underwent further assessments with a six-minute walk test, ECG, ECHO, PFTs, and HRCT of the thorax. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 19.

Results: Our study investigated the incidence of acute radiation-induced pneumonitis and pericarditis in patients treated with hypofractionated VMAT-SIB technique in 20 eligible early breast cancer patients. The study found that the technique is feasible and achieves encouraging dosimetric parameters, including well achieved ipsilateral lung and heart doses. The reduced treatment time of 3-4 weeks compared to the previous 6-7 weeks with sequential boost was also found to be desirable in resource-constrained settings. The incidence of acute radiation pneumonitis and pericarditis was acceptable and comparable to existing data, with 90% of patients experiencing grade 1 radiation pneumonitis according to CTCAE v5.0. Post-treatment pulmonary function tests showed significant changes, particularly in patients who had received neoadjuvant chemotherapy and nodal irradiation. The six-minute walk test and Borg scale also showed a significant positive correlation with pulmonary function tests. There was no significant pericarditis during the follow-up. The study proposes that the hypofractionated radiotherapy using VMAT-SIB is a suitable alternative to conventional fractionation, with acceptable acute toxicities, but longer follow-up is required to assess the impact on late toxicities.

Conclusion: Our research has shown that hypofractionated adjuvant radiotherapy with SIB is a safe and feasible treatment for patients with early breast cancer. This treatment method doesn't pose any significant short-term risks to the lungs or heart, and the SIB technique provides better coverage, conformity and sparing of organs at risk. Additionally, patients have reported positive cosmetic outcomes with this treatment. However, to make more accurate conclusions, we need to conduct further studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods to evaluate the potential longterm side effects of this treatment using VMAT in whole breast radiation.