Meta-analysis of partial-breast irradiation or intraoperative radiation versus whole-breast irradiation for early-stage breast cancer

Partial-breast irradiation (PBI) and intraoperative radiation (IORT) are alternatives for whole-breast irradiation (WBI) in patients undergoing breast conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer. Meta-analysis of 11 randomized phase 3 trials including 14,460 patients, found that among patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer, PBI was noninferior to WBI for the endpoints ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR), overall survival (OS) and distant disease-free survival (DDFS), while IORT was inferior to WBI for IBTR but not OS or DDFS.