Breast cancer does not have to be burned off with radiation

Breast cancer is traditionally treated with radiation therapy. They literally burn him out with radiation. However, doctors have already begun to reduce the dose of radiation therapy for women with a low risk of recurrence or spread of the disease.

Breast cancer is associated in the public mind with radiation. It has long played a role in the treatment of this type of cancer, xrust notes. However, in recent years, doctors have started using it less frequently in the early stages of the disease as advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved survival rates.

A new study with an unusually long follow-up found that chest wall radiation had absolutely no effect on the survival of women with early-stage breast cancer who had a mastectomy, lymph node surgery, and were taking modern cancer drugs.

The women in the study were at intermediate risk, meaning they had stage II cancer with one to three lymph nodes involved or an aggressive tumor without lymph node involvement. Most patients did not receive chemotherapy before surgery, reducing the need for radiation therapy.

The results confirm an already emerging trend toward de-escalation of radiation therapy in low-risk patient groups. The risk for these women is low enough and chemotherapy is effective enough to avoid the need for radiation therapy.

The study included more than 1,600 women with early-stage cancer, half of whom received radiation therapy and half of whom did not. After following them for a median period of 9.6 years, survival rates were similar: 81.4% among patients who received radiation therapy and 81.9% among those who did not receive radiation therapy.

Radiation had no effect on how long women lived without recurrence or on the spread of disease from the breast to other parts of the body.

Xrust Breast cancer did not be sure to burn it with radiation