Clinical and morphological characteristics of skin and subcutaneous fat damage after surgical treatment and radiation therapy in patients with breast cancer (literature review)

The article presents a literature review on late radiation injury (RI) of skin and subcutaneous fat after surgical treatment and radiation therapy (RT) in patients with breast cancer (BC). In Russia, the rate of radiation injuries in patients after RT exceeds 10–15 %. Combination treatment of BC (surgery and radiation) carries a risk of RI of skin and subcutaneous fat which might lead to dystrophic changes in the form of prominent radiation-induced fibrosis of the irradiated area, lower the quality of life, cause suffering and even death. Most of BC patients are of working age, so the problem of local RI is of social importance, and it requires effective methods of treatment and rehabilitation allowing for favorable conditions for patients’ social adaptation. Currently, there’s no consensus on the mechanisms of development of skin and subcutaneous fat late RI, and it’s being considered from several angles. Therefore, problems of determination of individual sensitivity to ionizing radiation and further study of local RI of skin and subcutaneous fat after surgical treatment and RT in BC patients are of utmost importance.

breast cancer, radiation therapy, late radiation injury, radiation-induced fibrosis of the skin