Basic principles of radiobiology

The therapeutic benefit of radiation in the treatment of breast cancer was first noted by Emil Grubbé in January 1896 in Chicago. Less than 60 days after the discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen in Germany in 1895, Grubbé successfully treated an advanced ulcerated breast cancer. The first treatment complications were also noted during these early years of radiotherapy. In 1922, the first case of lung fibrosis after the treatment of breast cancer was described, leading to changes in the radiation techniques used to treat the breast and chest wall. Advances in radiation physics and biology over the past several decades have built upon these early observations to develop more effective and less harmful treatments. This chapter reviews general principles of radiobiology as they apply to breast cancer. © 2011 Springer Science + Business Media.