Progression free survival in Iraqi breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant 3D conformal radiotherapy: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is a common malignancy in Iraq, accounting for one-third of female cancers in the Iraqi Cancer Registry. Radiotherapy confers benefits for local control and progression free survival (PFS) in patients with breast cancer. This study aimed to assess PFS in patients treated by hypofractionated three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) and correlate PFS with patients' clinical and pathological profiles. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 299 women with breast cancer treated at Baghdad Radiation Oncology Center between October 2017 and May 2018. Regarding radiotherapy, 4005 cGy in 15 fractions over 3 weeks was adopted as standard practice for patients undergoing mastectomy and 4005 cG in 15 fractions + 1000 cG in 5 fractions as a booster dose for women undergoing breast-conserving surgery. Results: Age ranged from 25 to 75 years, and the mean age was 49.9±10.99 years. The most common stage was T2 (156, 53.9%), which mostly comprised luminal A (105, 36.3%). The results showed a high frequency of N1 (109, 37.2%), with luminal A (69, 23.4%). Relapse occurred in 35/299 (11.7%) patients, and the chest wall was a common relapse site in 9 of these patients (25.9%). Conclusions: We conclude that adjuvant radiotherapy reduces locoregional recurrence, distant metastasis and mortality rate.