[Gamma teletherapy in the combined treatment of breast cancer].

The results of combination treatment in 655 breast cancer patients, who underwent pre- and postoperative gammatherapy, are reported. Radiotherapy in 522 patients was performed prior to radical mastectomy, in 133--after it. 69.5% of patients showed cancer in stage II-b, III-a, III-b. A 5-year survival was noted in 54.6%, the clinical cure (without any signs of recurrence and metastases)--in 46.2%. A comparative analysis of the 5-year cure using pre- and postoperative irradiation indicated the rationale of preoperative gamma therapy in patients with regional metastases. Thus, the 5-year cure among patients irradiated preoperatively was 81.2% in stage II-b, 67.3%--in stage III-a, 31.4%--in stage III-b versus 38.9%, 60% and 25% respectively, while using postoperative gammatherapy. Preoperative irradiation is found to contribute to nearly 4 times less incidence of local recurrences compared with the postoperative one.