Review article

https://doi.org/10.20471/LO.2025.53.01.03

Deescalation of axillary radiotherapy – is now the time to start?

Katarina Antunac orcid.org/0000-0002-8356-9897 ; University Hospital for Tumors, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Martina Mikulandra orcid.org/0000-0001-9287-7149 ; University Hospital for Tumors, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia and Clinical Oncology Department, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Iva Andrašek ; University Hospital for Tumors, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb, Croatia
Lidija Beketić-Orešković ; University Hospital for Tumors, Sestre milosrdnice University Hospital Center, Zagreb and Clinical Oncology Department, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Indication for radiotherapy of regional lymph nodes in patients with breast cancer is based on the clinical stage of the disease, surgical procedure, intraoperative and pathohistological report. It is supported by a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials with long follow-up. However, many of these trials were performed decades ago, and, in the meantime, tremendous progress has been made in diagnostics, understanding of tumor biology, tailoring and effectiveness of systemic treatment, and technical possibilities of radiotherapy. Based on these new data, the approach to the axillary radiotherapy should be tailored, and a subset of patients in which de-escalation of axillary treatment is feasible defined.

Keywords

breast cancer; adjuvant radiotherapy; axillary lymph node dissection; sentinel lymph node biopsy; radiotherapy after primary systemic therapy; axillary radiotherapy

Hrčak ID:

334406

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/334406

Publication date:

21.8.2025.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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