First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

Four questions were considered pivotal by the organizers of the Controversies in Breast Cancer 2009 meeting in Edinburgh, September 2009 with regards to the radiation (RT) effect in the adjuvant setting of early breast cancer: What are the data indicating that local radiotherapy is associated with long-term survival benefit? What must be irradiated to obtain a long-term effect? What is the mechanism of action whereby local RT can influence long-term outcome? Is the RT effect applicable to different subsets? Answers to these questions constitute the present contribution.