Evaluating radiotherapy after surgery for patients with triple-negative breast cancer

This study evaluated the impact of radiotherapy on the survival of patients with breast cancer who have undergone surgery. This study found that patients who had radiotherapy after surgery had higher survival than patients who had surgery only.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is cancer that does not have estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, or HER2 on the surface of cancer cells. 15 to 20% of patients with breast cancer have this type of disease. 

TNBC cannot be treated with hormone therapies. Surgically removing the tumors is the most common treatment. Surgery may be followed by chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, the benefits of radiotherapy after surgery for patients with TNBC remain unclear.

This study involved the records of 22,802 patients with TNBC. 10,905 patients underwent surgery followed by radiotherapy. 11,897 patients had surgery only, without radiotherapy.

More patients in the radiotherapy group had tumors 2.0 centimeters or larger in size compared to patients who did not receive radiotherapy (45.8% vs. 38.8%). More patients in the radiotherapy group also received chemotherapy (82.5% vs. 67.4%).

Radiotherapy after surgery was significantly associated with a 21% lower risk of mortality. Patients in the radiotherapy group had a 24% higher overall survival compared to the no radiotherapy group.

This study concluded that radiotherapy after surgery has significant survival benefits for patients with TNBC.

This study was retrospective, meaning it looked back in time to analyze data. Also, the two groups of patients in this study were quite different from one another. This may limit the conclusions that can be drawn from these results. More studies are needed to confirm these results.

Talk to your doctor if you have questions about the potential benefits of radiotherapy.