Radiation therapy after breast augmentation or reconstruction

This paper evaluates the feasibility and cosmetic results of definitive breast irradiation in the presence of a silicone prosthesis. Fourteen patients who presented between 1984 and 1989 with a diagnosis of primary (four patients) or locally recurrent (ten patients) breast cancer and whose augmented or reconstructed breasts were treated with radiation were evaluated for acute and late complications. Silicone gel implants were used in 13 patients and free injected silicone in one patient. The total dose ranged from 4,400 to 6,200 cGy with use of tangential photon fields or an en face electron field by megavoltage equipment. In several cases, electron boost was added to the tumor bed