Preoperative radiotherapy in breast cancer as a therapeutic strategy, case report

Abstract

Multiple therapeutic strategies have been developed with the aim of optimizing breast cancer (BC) treatment, especially preoperatively since the
introduction of preoperative chemotherapy by Fisher. One of these has been radiation therapy (RT), which has clear benefits in breast cancer, halving the risk of recurrence and reducing breast cancer death by approximately one-sixth after breast-conserving surgery. Although not often considered for use prior to surgery, the use of preoperative radiotherapy in localized breast cancer is not new and has demonstrated that this therapeutic alternative is feasible, well tolerated and associated with a pathologic complete response rate of 10-40%. We present the case of a patient with metastatic breast cancer who received multiple chemotherapy schedules and who was considered preoperative radiotherapy, receiving the same with very good response, without increasing the technical difficulty for the performance of surgery, and without complications associated with the operative wound. At present, there are
few clinical studies on preoperative radiotherapy, and its effect in patients with locally advanced breast cancer is controversial. And although this is a single case, observing a complete pathologic response in the definitive biopsy gives us a great indication of how preoperative radiotherapy in breast cancer could be an option in complex cases with little response to conventional therapy.