Therapeutic options for breast cancer treatment in patients previously irradiated for Hodgkin's disease: radical mastectomy or conservative surgery followed by reirradiation?

Patients undergoing radiotherapy for the treatment of Hodgkin' disease (HD) occurred at young age present a higher risk to develop second cancer compared to general population. Among the possible second tumours, breast cancer is the most frequent and the age at presentation is younger than the "classic" form. Patients at risk for second cancer undergo a strict follow-up permitting often to diagnose breast cancer at early stages (I-II). The aim of this work is to review the various therapeutic options for the treatment of breast cancer in patients previously irradiated for HD, with particular attention to the possibility of reirradiation of mammary tissue thanks to the new radiotherapy techniques developed in the last years. Clin Ter 2009; 160(4):311-314