OBJECTIVES:
* is to investigate the impact of a short fractionated schedule given preoperatively on local control, cosmesis and breast fibrosis.
* To further design optimal treatment strategies for individual breast cancer patients treated with breast-conserving therapy (BCT) on the basis of biological parameters, including the expression profile of the primary tumor, for both m-RNA as for micro-RNA, with first, a focus on radiotherapy responsiveness and second, on local recurrence rate, distant metastases and survival.
* proteomics will be studied in fine-needle aspiration samples. A classifier can be build (genomic or proteomic or any kind of molecular signature) to identify responders and non-responders
* quality of life
OUTLINE: Patients undergo image-guided preoperative accelerated partial-breast irradiation (PAPBI) 10 times over 12 days (10 x 4 Gy) and later in the study 5 times 6 Gy. Six weeks after completion of image-guided PAPBI, patients undergo surgery.
