Strut-adjusted volume implant (SAVI) brachytherapy-based accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) in African American women.

PURPOSE: To examine the clinical outcomes of postmenopausal African American (AA) women treated with strut-adjusted volume implant brachytherapy-based accelerated partial breast irradiation for early-stage node-negative breast cancer.

METHODS: From January 2011 through April 2015, a total of 50 AA patients, meeting criteria to receive APBI as defined by the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-39 (NASBP B-39), completed treatment with the SAVI breast brachytherapy device at Howard University Hospital.

RESULTS: 4% ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence and 2% breast cancer-specific mortality was observed. Median follow-up has been 3.8 years with a range of 0.29-4.69 years. Dosimetry parameters yielded a median V90 of 96.22% (range 77.86-105.00%), a median V150 of 31.27 cm3 (range 23.30-49.15 mL), and a median V200 of 14.53 cm3 (range 5.92-19.38 mL). Cosmesis was excellent. There were no infections, persistent seromas, fat necrosis, or telangiectasias observed to date.

CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first study to describe the use of SAVI as APBI in an exclusively AA population. This study has demonstrated excellent local control in appropriately selected patients, similar clinical outcomes to the general population, and good to excellent cosmesis in AA women to date.