Breast conservation therapy utilizing partial breast brachytherapy for early-stage cancer of the breast: a retrospective review from the Saint Luke's Cancer Institute

Accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) is a convenient alternative to whole-breast irradiation, as less overall time is needed for completion. The use of APBI outside the framework of large prospective clinical trials has markedly increased. To our knowledge, no high-volume, community-based breast program has published their experience with APBI. The records of 93 consecutive patients who underwent APBI utilizing Mammosite Radiation Therapy System from 2005 to 2010 at Saint Luke's Cancer Institute in Kansas City, MO, were retrospectively reviewed. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate the ipsilateral breast recurrence rate and recurrence-free survival. Median age at diagnosis was 63 years (range, 45 to 86 y) and mean follow-up was 29 months. Patient stratification ASTRO consensus classifications for APBI was 37% suitable, 57% cautionary, and 6% unsuitable. The 3-year breast control rate was 98.7%. Three-year overall recurrence-free survival was 94.4%, and 3-year mastectomy-free survival was 97.4%. Using univariate analysis, no tumor or patient factors were associated with ipsilateral breast recurrence. However, tumor grade (P