This phase II trial studies how well giving accelerated radiation therapy (RT) after surgery works in treating patients with breast cancer. RT uses high energy x rays to kill tumor cells. Giving RT after surgery may kill any remaining tumor cells

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Freedom from local failure and freedom from regional failure.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. Acute toxicity and late toxicity using previously published toxicity scales. II. To identify co-variates responsible for poor cosmetic outcome in women with reconstructed chest walls when treated with accelerated, hypofractionated radiotherapy.

III. To correlate toxicity, cosmesis, and local control with molecular markers.

OUTLINE:

Patients undergo hypofractionated accelerated RT over 11 weekdays (for 15 elapsed days) within 21-63 days after last surgery or last course of chemotherapy. Treatment continues in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 2-8 weeks, every 3-6 months for 3 years, every 6-12 months for 2 years, and then annually thereafter.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Invasive ductal, medullary, papillary, colloid (mucinous), or tubular histologies; invasive lobular carcinomas are allowed
• American Joint Committee for Cancer (AJCC) Stage IIa - IIIc (pathologic stage T0N1-3, T1N1-3, T2N1-3, T3N0-3, T4N0-3, all M0 status) histologically confirmed invasive carcinoma of the breast treated with mastectomy and either sentinel node biopsy or axillary dissection; inflammatory carcinoma (T4d) is allowed
• Patients with locally advanced breast cancer on clinical exam and diagnostics ( > 3 cm and/or clinically node-positive) who have mastectomy after induction chemotherapy are allowed
• Multifocal/multicentric disease is allowed
• Negative inked histologic margins of mastectomy (no invasive cells at margin) or positive margin at pectoralis fascia or skin
• Tamoxifen, Arimidex or other hormonal therapy is allowed; it may begin any time relative to the radiation at the discretion of the treating physician
• Chemotherapy is allowed, if chemotherapy is indicated the chemotherapy can be delivered first, followed by radiation therapy beginning 21-63 days after the last cycle of chemotherapy or the radiation therapy can be delivered first and the chemotherapy can be delivered no earlier than 21 days post radiation therapy; neoadjuvant chemotherapy is allowed; radiation therapy will be delivered after mastectomy or after any adjuvant chemotherapy as described above
• Chest wall reconstruction is allowed
• The patient must be enrolled and have treatment planning between 14-63 days from date of last surgery or last cycle of chemotherapy, and radiation must start within 21-63 days of date of last surgery or last cycle of chemotherapy
• Signed study-specific informed consent form prior to study entry
• Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient with distant metastases (M1)
• Patients with ductal or lobular carcinoma in-situ alone (no invasive component) and patients with non-epithelial breast malignancies such as sarcoma or lymphoma
• Patient with T1N0 or T2N0 disease
• Prior radiation therapy to the chest
• Patients with collagen vascular diseases, specifically systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, or dermatomyositis
• Patients with co-existing medical conditions with life expectancy < 2 years
• Patients with psychiatric (with the possible exception of incompetence as defined by New Jersey [NJ] law) or addictive disorders that would preclude obtaining informed consent
• Other malignancy, except non-melanomatous skin cancer, < 5 years prior to participation in this study; the disease-free interval from any prior carcinoma must be continuous
• Women who are pregnant or lactating due to potential exposure of the fetus to RT and unknown effects of RT to lactating females
• Women who are able to conceive and unwilling to practice an effective method of birth control; women of childbearing potential must have a negative urine or serum pregnancy test within 7 days prior to treatment