Accelerated partial breast irradiation: the new standard?

In The Lancet, Vratislav Strnad and colleagues present 5-year results of a large, international, randomised trial testing standard whole-breast radiotherapy against accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) after breast-conserving surgery, in a selected low-risk population of women. The APBI technique entailed a 4-5-day postoperative course of radiotherapy delivered via radioactive sources inserted into breast tissue surrounding the operation site, the so-called tumour bed.