Breast-conserving therapy after previous irradiation for lymphoma

There is an increased risk of breast cancer in patients who have undergone radiation treatment for lymphoma. While this usually precludes further radiotherapy (RT), we report five women who received irradiation for lymphoma and who subsequently received breast-conserving therapy between 1995 and 2007 for early-stage breast cancer. There was an overlap between the two treatment fields in all patients. RT for lymphoma ranged between 29.8 and 40 grays (Gy). The interval between lymphoma and the diagnosis of breast cancer was 11–24 years. All five patients had lumpectomy and received subsequent RT (45 Gy in four patients, 50 Gy in the other). All tolerated breast RT well, and toxicity was limited to grade 1 events. All five patients were alive at last follow-up, and there was no local recurrence in the irradiated breast in any patient. We conclude that previous RT for lymphoma is not necessarily an absolute contraindication to breast-conserving therapy.