Course Description
Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women worldwide. It is not solely a women's disease, however, as 1% of all breast cancers are diagnosed in men. While treatment regimens have improved greatly over the years, a successful treatment plan begins with an overall understanding of the disease including the histopathology and cancer types. Screening and early detection are the keys to overall treatment success. Understanding mammography, as well as other potential screening tools, are imperative to an overall understanding of the disease and how to treat patients diagnosed with it. Historically, an extremely aggressive and invasive surgical approach to treatment left many patients scarred both physically and psychologically. However, current treatments balance the patient's survival with their desire for quality-of-life. This course will review the anatomy of the breast, the most common types of breast cancer, their etiology, epidemiology, staging, and grading. A review of surgical, chemotherapeutic, and radiation therapy treatment regimens will also be reviewed. Finally, a variety of radiation therapy treatment options will be covered including brachytherapy, proton therapy, external-beam irradiation, and brachytherapy.

  

Learning Objectives
After reviewing the content, participants should be able to:

• IDENTIFY tumor histology and pathways associated with breast cancer.
• IDENTIFY the screening tools, detection methods, diagnosis, grading, staging systems, and preventative strategies for breast cancers, including magnetic resonance imaging, sonography, and computed tomography.
• ANALYZE and ASSESS various treatment options for patients with breast cancer, including radiation therapy, proton therapy, and brachytherapy, and their radiobiologic concerns.
• OUTLINE the physics of radiation therapy, proton therapy, and brachytherapy for breast cancer treatment.
• EXPLAIN the clinical presentations for patients with breast cancer.
• SUMMARIZE the roles of radiation therapy, surgery, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and medical oncology in the management and treatment of patients with breast cancer.

 

Categories: Radiation Therapy/Dosimetry, Treatment

In order to receive CE credit, you must first complete the activity content. When completed, go to the "Take CE Test!" link to access the post-test.

Submit the completed answers to determine if you have passed the post-test assessment. You must answer 18 out of 24 questions correctly to receive the CE credit. You will have no more than 3 attempts to successfully complete the post-test.

Participants successfully completing the activity content and passing the post-test will receive 2.5 ARRT Category A credits.

Approved by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists for ARRT Category A credit.

Approved by the Medical Dosimetrist Certification Board for MDCB credits.

Approved by the state of Florida for ARRT Category A credit (for Technical credits).

Texas direct credit.

This activity may be available in multiple formats or from different sponsors. ARRT does not allow CE activities such as Internet courses, home study programs, or directed readings to be repeated for CE credit in the same biennium.

Category	Content Area	Credits
Breast Sonography	Patient Care	1.5
Breast Sonography	Procedures	1
Magnetic Resonance	Procedures	0.75
Mammography	Patient Care	1.5
Mammography	Procedures	1
Nuclear Medicine	Procedures	0.75
PTH	Procedures	0.75
Radiation Therapy	Patient Care	1.25
Radiation Therapy	Procedures	1.25
Radiologist Assistant	Procedures	0.75
Sonography	Procedures	0.75

Category	Subcategory	Credits
Breast Sonography	Anatomy and Physiology	0.25
Breast Sonography	Breast Interventions	0.25
Breast Sonography	Pathology	0.5
Breast Sonography	Patient Interactions and Management	1.5
Magnetic Resonance	Body	0.75
Mammography	Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology	0.75
Mammography	Mammographic Positioning, Special Needs and Imaging Procedures	0.25
Mammography	Patient Interactions and Management	1.5
Nuclear Medicine	Endocrine and Oncology Procedures	0.75
PTH	Treatment Sites	0.75
Radiation Therapy	Patient and Medical Record Management	1.25
Radiation Therapy	Treatment Sites and Tumors	0.75
Radiation Therapy	Treatments	0.5
Radiologist Assistant	Thoracic Section	0.75
Sonography	Superficial Structures and Other Sonographic Procedures	0.75

Category	Credits
Digital	0.5
Fluoroscopy	0
Mammography	0