HWN Suggests

Why treating breast cancer with less may be more

In recent years, doctors studied new therapies for breast cancer. Halsted radical mastectomy has been replaced with a lumpectomy procedure that is usually performed on an outpatient basis. The radiation course has been shortened and is now delivered using sophisticated equipment, sparing unnecessary dose to the heart and lungs. The better equipment also began to allow researchers to look at ways to shorten treatment. Hypofractionated radiation, in which a portion of the breast is treated for a shorter time, was one result. Alternative therapies to conventional and hypofractionated radiation have also been recently introduced to deliver a single dose of radiation just to the tumor bed…

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 New Thinking on Radiation for Breast Cancer Treatment

Options for breast-cancer radiation are proliferating and so are controversies over which forms are best at reducing the risk of recurrence with the fewest side effects and least cost. WSJ’s Melinda Beck joins Lunch Break to discuss. Professors Jeffrey S. Tobias (left) and Jayant Vaidya (right), at University College London Hospitals with the device they pioneered to administer a single dose of radiation during lumpectomy surgery.

Articles of Interest

Breast cancer findings ‘suggest a new set of criteria for avoiding radiation’

Following surgery with medication may produce similar results for some early-stage patients. Women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer often can choose to have a lumpectomy, which removes only cancerous tissue and a thin margin of surrounding healthy cells instead of the entire breast. Current cancer guidelines for most women under 65 recommend following lumpectomy with radiation therapy, which targets stray cancer cells that might otherwise cause breast cancer to recur or spread to other parts of the body.

Long Radiation Treatments Called Unnecessary in Many Breast Cancer Cases

Two-thirds of women who have lumpectomies for breast cancer are receiving radiation treatment that lasts nearly twice as long as necessary, a new study reports. The conventional, longer treatment lasts five to seven weeks. But four rigorous studies and guidelines from a leading radiology society conclude that three to four weeks of more intense radiation is just as effective.

Many Breast Cancer Patients Receive More Radiation Therapy Than Needed

All eligible breast cancer patients should be offered a shorter course of radiation, said Dr. Benjamin Smith, an associate professor of radiation oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Studies show that side effects from the shorter regimen are the same or even milder than traditional therapy...

More Women With Breast Cancer Could Skip Harsh Radiation, Study Says

More older women with low-risk breast cancer could forgo radiation after surgery to avoid further side effects and costs, research showed, as some doctors work to limit tough treatments without hurting survival.

Radiation Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

The treatment of breast cancer continues to evolve, and there are now studies trying to determine the feasibility of delivering radiation intraoperatively. Because breast cancer is a heterogeneous disorder, the key is proper patient selection to achieve the highest cure rates with the least morbidity.

Shorter Course of Radiation Is Effective, Safe for Some with Early-Stage Breast Cancer

For some people with early-stage breast cancer, the time needed for daily radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) can safely be shortened from about 4–6 weeks to 3 weeks...

Shorter Radiation for Cancer of the Breast

Three weeks of radiation treatment work just as well as the usual course of five weeks or more for women with early-stage breast cancers, Canadian researchers have reported, after monitoring a large group of patients for 12 years.

Which Patients With Breast Cancer Can Omit Radiotherapy?

Although advances in radiation therapy have rendered this treatment modality more tolerable, they have not completely eliminated the burden of radiation-related toxicity. The omission of radiotherapy is under active investigation in a broader age range of patients with biologically favorable estrogen receptor–positive invasive cancer, in this same subset who remain node-positive after mastectomy, and in patients with HER2-positive invasive cancer who have undergone breast-conserving surgery, Dr. Jagsi noted.

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Radiation therapy (or radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to stop cancer cells from growing and dividing. Radiation therapy is often used to destroy any remaining breast cancer cells in the breast, chest wall, or axilla (underarm) area after surgery.