Baseline cross-sectional imaging of locally advanced high-risk breast cancer facilitates highly customized radiation therapy in surgically inaccessible anatomical areas.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Routine medical imaging used for preliminary breast cancer workup, such as mammography (MMG) and ultrasound (US), has limited utility for radiation oncologists. We hypothesized that the inclusion of cross-sectional imaging (CT scan or PET-CT) prior to primary systemic therapy (PST) would improve clinical staging accuracy and facilitate customized postoperative radiation therapy planning. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the standard baseline imaging with extended radiological staging.

Methods

To assess our hypothesis, we performed a prospective, single-center study that included 132 participants who were recruited from October 2015 to March 2020. We quantified the value of cross-sectional imaging compared to those of MMG and US. Descriptive statistics, the F

SUBMITTER: Borowiec T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11923551 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature