Radiation therapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in 2015 – The year of radiation therapy advances

Surgery associated with radiation therapy is the standard treatment for early breast cancer. This paper reviews the new evidence on local control and survival, the indications of lymph-node irradiation, and the long-term results of large prospective trials. New shorter fractionation schemes allow a reduction in the constraints of daily treatment courses over several weeks, and recent technical improvements in treatment delivery will improve cancer outcomes in terms of local control, decreased toxicity and long-term sequelae. Research should focus on identifying molecular markers for radiation sensitivity while designing specific, targeted modulators of the radiation response in early breast cancer.