Division of Radiotherapy for Breast Tumor
The Department of Breast Radiation Oncology

The Department of Breast Radiation Oncology was formally established in February 2017. It is the first specialized breast radiation oncology department set up within the Yixian Breast Tumor Hospital, which itself was the first of its kind officially established in China. Under the leadership of the discipline founder and specialty pioneer, Professor Huang Xiaobo, the department currently has 5 physicians and has established a relatively comprehensive team comprising doctors, medical physicists, radiation therapists, as well as nursing staff, disease managers, and research assistants. Leveraging the hospital's major radiation oncology platform, the department is equipped with advanced devices including Trilogy and Infinity linear accelerators, a Philips large-bore CT simulator, and Eclipse and Monaco treatment planning systems.
The department is dedicated to the precise radiotherapy and individualized optimized comprehensive treatment of breast tumors. The rate of precision radiotherapy for breast cancer exceeds 90%, and it treats nearly 1,000 breast cancer patients with radiotherapy annually. Its clinical specialties and research directions mainly include: the development of precise radiotherapy techniques for breast cancer; exploration of new models for radiotherapy in early-stage breast cancer; optimization of the sequencing between radiotherapy and other comprehensive treatments; biological, clinical, and molecular subtyping related to breast cancer radiotherapy, and individualized optimized radiotherapy based on precise molecular and genetic predictors; the abscopal effect of radiotherapy in breast cancer and its combination with immunotherapy; and radiotherapy-related injury and protection in breast cancer. The department's clinical reputation and disciplinary influence have reached a leading level in South China and rank among the top nationally.

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Featured Medical Technology

The Department of Breast Radiation Oncology specializes in precise radiotherapy techniques and individualized, optimized radiotherapy decision-making for breast cancer, possessing advanced technologies and extensive clinical experience in both postoperative radiotherapy for early-stage disease and palliative radiotherapy for advanced cases. Key distinctive clinical techniques include:
1.Leveraging our hospital's strength in breast-conserving surgery, we employ hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation and accelerated partial breast irradiation following breast-conserving surgery. This better achieves superior overall therapeutic outcomes, optimal cosmetic results, and improved quality of life.
2.We have innovatively implemented individualized immobilization techniques and serial intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) protocols for patients receiving radiotherapy after immediate or delayed implant-based breast reconstruction. This significantly reduces reconstruction failure rates and complications while ensuring treatment efficacy, thereby improving long-term cosmetic outcomes.
3.We pioneered and applied simultaneous bilateral IMRT for synchronous bilateral breast cancer in China. This approach eliminates the recurrence risk associated with delayed contralateral radiotherapy and better protects critical organs such as the heart and lungs.
4.Utilizing stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for oligometastatic disease, we achieve better local control and survival for some patients with potentially curable oligometastases.
5.Techniques such as deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH) for cardiac protection and hippocampal-avoidance whole-brain radiotherapy help prevent or minimize complications like cardiac injury and memory/cognitive dysfunction in both early and advanced-stage patients.
Under the assurance of precision radiotherapy techniques, we can safely administer postoperative radiotherapy for early-stage disease and palliative/salvage radiotherapy for advanced cases concurrently with oral chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and endocrine therapy. This approach does not increase toxicity and enhances synergistic effects, ultimately improving treatment efficacy.

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Scientific Research Results

The department is responsible for the teaching and training of postgraduate students, visiting physicians, and resident physicians specializing in radiation oncology, cultivating an average of 7-8 young doctors of various types annually. It has established the provincial continuing medical education program "Workshop on Target Delineation, Plan Optimization, and Precise Immobilization in Breast Cancer Radiotherapy" and the national high-end academic conference "Yixian Forum on Precision Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer." Led by the discipline leader, Professor Huang Xiaobo, the medical and medical physics/technical teams have presided over or participated in multiple research and funding projects, including the Guangdong Science and Technology Plan, Guangdong Natural Science Foundation, National Natural Science Foundation, the Ministry of Science and Technology's 863 Program, Sun Yat-sen University Young Teacher Cultivation Project, and Yixian Clinical Cultivation Project. They have initiated and led two national multicenter randomized controlled clinical trials on breast cancer radiotherapy. The team has published approximately 30 papers in domestic and international journals such as Chinese Journal of Radiation Oncology, National Medical Journal of China, Int J Radiat Oncol Bio Phis, Radiotherapy Oncol, and The Breast.

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