Elective Internal Mammary Node Irradiation in Women With Node-positive Breast Cancer

Elective Internal Mammary Node Irradiation in Women With Node-positive Breast Cancer: a Randomized, Phase 3 Trial

The aim of this study is to find out whether the inclusion of internal mammary node irradiation in regional nodal irradiation improves outcomes in women with node-positive breast cancer.

This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized phase 3 trial. Patients with node-positive breast cancer without distant metastases were included. All patients underwent breast conservation surgery or mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection before irradiation. Patients underwent regional nodal irradiation along with breast or chest wall irradiation and randomly allocated to either IMNI or no IMNI.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Women with histologically confirmed node-positive breast cancer who had undergone modified radical mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery and axillary dissection with ≥8 nodes removed.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy
2. Bilateral breast cancer
3. Distant metastasis
4. History of other malignancy
5. Involvement of supraclavicular nodes or internal mammary nodes at diagnosis