Study: Most Should Have Radiation After Lumpectomy

Women who have a lumpectory for early breast cancer should routinely be given radiation therapy afterwards, according to researchers reporting in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

In a review of 15 studies in Europe, Canada and the United States involving almost 10,000 women, the researchers found that women who did not have radiation therapy were three times more likely to suffer relapses and also had a reduced chance of overall survival.

Radiation therapy involves the highly localized application of radiation to the area from which the tumor was surgically removed, and lasts generally from 30 days to six weeks. It has side effects that can range from skin problems to breast hardening and heart and lung complications.

But the researchers calculated that eight years after breast cancer surgery, women who did not have radiation therapy had an 8.6 percent higher rate of deaths.

"Until now, almost all studies saw a reduction in relapse," Dr. Vincent Vinh-Hung, a radiotherapist at the Oncology Center at Academic Hospital in Jette, Belgium said.

"But now we think we are seeing the beginnings of an answer to the question of survival rates. We have been studying populations associated with radiotherapy, and are seeing better survival rates overall in Western countries," Vinh-Hung said.

In an accompanying editorial, Drs. Katherine A. Vallis and Ian F. Tannock of Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto said that while a small number of women may not need radiation after surgery, this analysis "reinforces the view that the large majority of patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery should also receive radiotherapy."

Other Sources: Journal of the National Cancer Institute