In a nutshell
The authors aimed to study the effects of a type of post-surgical radiation; radiation to only the affected area of the breast.
Some background
Radiation is a type of cancer treatment that is recommended following a lumpectomy (removal of the tumor and some surrounding tissue; breast remains intact). 'Brachytherapy' is a type of radiation. It is supplied directly to the tumor by a catheter or tube from a radiation source outside of the body. As it is only directed at the previously infected area (not the entire breast), other organs are not at risk from radiation (radiation can damage healthy cells as well as cancer cells).
Methods & findings
The aim of this study was to determine the outcomes of breast cancer following lumpectomy (removal of part of the breast) and brachytherapy treatment.
A total of 1,356 women with breast cancer were evaluated, of whom 83% were estrogen receptor positive (ER+; presence of estrogen receptor proteins on cancer cells), 70% were progesterone receptor positive (PR+) and 56% were human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 negative (HER2-).
Overall, the return of breast cancer within the same area of initial diagnosis (local recurrence) after 10 years was seen in 7.6% of all women. Furthermore, 3.8% of women developed a distant recurrence (tumor returns in another part of the body) over the same 10 years.
Women with ER+ breast cancer had a 50% less risk of developing recurrent cancer in comparison to those with ER- cancer. While this is a significant risk, the overall survival for all women after ten years was 86.5%.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that brachytherapy following a lumpectomy is a valid treatment as overall cancer recurrence risks are low.
The fine print
Many physicians still choose to deliver whole breast radiation treatment.
What’s next?
Talk to your doctor about whether brachytherapy is relevant in your case.
Published By :
Annals of Surgical Oncology
Date :
Apr 28, 2015
