What is Accelerated Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI)?
Accelerated partial breast irradiation (or APBI) is the delivery of radiation to only part of the breast over four to five days. By treating a smaller area of the breast, treatment can be completed in just one week. While it is not yet considered standard practice, there is reason to believe that APBI may be equivalent to 5 to 7 weeks of external beam radiation therapy. Thousands of patients are being actively evaluated in national clinical trials—data on these patients must be collected over 10 to 20 years to see if APBI is as effective as the standard external beam treatment. Currently, it is used most often for patients who find it impossible to travel to and from the clinic for a standard radiation therapy course.
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- WHAT IS PARTIAL BREAST IRRADIATION?
