BP09 Presentation Time: 5:12 PM

Purpose

Our prospective mono-institutional non-randomized open-label study (NTC05142202) evaluates the impact of adjuvant accelerated partial breast irradiation with HDR brachytherapy on health-related quality of life (QOL) of patients with low-risk early-stage breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery. It is to report an interim analysis of a novel fractionation scheme's influence on patients' QOL.

Material and Methods

147 patients were enrolled in a prospective study during recruitment between October 2021 and December 2023. Treatment was performed using postoperative interstitial HDR brachytherapy and was given for three days in 5 fractions of 5,4 Gy up to a total dose of 27,0 Gy. Health-related QOL was assessed using the QLQ-C30 questionnaire and breast cancer-specific HRQL module (EORTC QLQ-BR23) before APBI, one month, three months, six months after treatment, and every six months after that. Both questionnaires contain functional scales (a higher score represents better functioning) and symptom scales (a higher score represents a higher level of symptoms). This analysis presents a preliminary report of the short-term (6 months) QOL of 111 patients who completed six months of follow-up (FU). Repeated measures ANOVA was used to compare HRQL scores between time points. A p-value below 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

There was a statistically significant increase in the mean of social functioning scale (SF, Fig. 1A; p=0.019) and an increase in the constipation symptoms scale (CO, Fig. 1B; p=0.004) assessed in EORTC QLQ-C30 scale. The analysis of EORTC QLQ-BR23 module scales showed an increase in body image functional scale (BRBI, Fig. 1C, p=0.004) and future perspective functional scale (BRFU, Fig.1D; p<0.001). In symptoms scales, there was an increase in the systemic therapy side effects scale (BRST, Fig. 1E; p=0.001) and a decrease in breast symptoms (BRBS, Fig. 1F; p=0.006). There were no other statistically significant changes in the functional or symptom scales of the QLQ-C30 and BR23 questionnaires.

Conclusions

There is no deterioration of short-time health-related quality of life of patients treated with 5 × 5,4 Gy HDR APBI. We observed increased symptoms only in scales linked with adjuvant systemic therapy. After six months of FU, an increase in body image functional scale and a decrease in breast symptoms after the treatment are worth noticing the most promising observations.