Open AccessIntra-operative Radiation Therapy versus Whole Breast External Beam Radiotherapy: A Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcomes
Author(s) -
Jordan Leatherman,
Christina M Nicholas,
Therese Cusick,
Ellen W. Cooke,
Elizabeth Ablah,
Hayrettin Okut,
Diane L S Hunt
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
kansas journal of medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1948-2035
DOI - 10.17161/kjm.vol1415147
Subject(s) - cosmesis , medicine , adverse effect , patient satisfaction , breast cancer , radiation therapy , external beam radiotherapy , external beam radiation , common terminology criteria for adverse events , breast augmentation , surgery , cancer , brachytherapy , implant
. This project sought to compare patient-reported outcomes between patients who received intra-operative radiation therapy (IORT) and those who qualified for IORT but received whole-breast external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) following breast-conserving surgery (BCS).Methods. Three scales from the BREAST-Q Breast Cancer BCT Module Version 2.0 questionnaire were used to collect patient-reported outcomes regarding post-operative physical well-being of the chest, post-operative satisfaction with breast cosmesis and post-operative adverse effects of radiation.Results. Patients who received EBRT travelled farther on average than patients who received IORT to complete treatment. Respondents who received IORT reported better physical well-being of the chest than those who received EBRT. Regression reveals that the respondent’s age was the determining factor in the difference between IORT and EBRT post-operative physical well-being scores, where younger patients report poorer well-being. There was no difference in patient-reported outcomes regarding post-operative satisfaction with breast cosmesis or adverse effects of radiation.Conclusions. This study suggests that patients who received IORT report better physical well-being of the chest than patients who received EBRT. There appears to be a relationship between age and physical well-being of chest. This study suggests that there is no difference in patient-reported outcomes concerning post-operative satisfaction with breast cosmesis or post-operative adverse effects of radiation between patients who received IORT and those who received EBRT.