Tailoring radiotherapy according to cancer subtypes

Radiotherapy is able to improve locoregional control in breast cancer patients both after breast conserving surgery or mastectomy, with positive impact in high-risk patients for long-term survival. Recent advances in the precision of radiotherapy were based on the choice of the appropriate fractionation and technique. But the concept of adaptive radiotherapy is not only technical, and includes the biologic characterisation of the breast tumor. The knowledge that different subtypes of breast cancer can have distinct locoregional patterns of recurrence is consisted in the literature data. Luminal A tumor are at the lower risk of locoregional failure, and HER2 positive and triple negative at the higher risk. More evidence in the use of molecular markers for adjuvant radiotherapy can held in choosing the best treatment on individual. The combination of radiotherapy with molecular targeted therapies may enhance radiosensitivity, thus increasing the cytotoxic effects and improving treatment response. The appropriateness of an alternative fractionation, partial breast irradiation, intensification or de-intensification approaches, could be assessed better according the stratification of the risk categories. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.