According to new research from The University of Texas, for the majority of older, early stage breast cancer patients the need for mastectomy can be reduced through the use of radiation therapy following breast conserving surgery. This is important because these findings are contrary to the current treatment guidelines.
Commenting on this, leading breast cancer expert Professor Kefah Mokbel says:
This interesting study underscores the principle of individualised breast cancer care through effective multi-disciplinary approach. It is clear from this study that it is unsafe to omit radiotherapy in all patients over the age of 70 and, at the same time, radiotherapy does not benefit every patient in that age group. There is a sub-group of patients who have node negative, small (less than 2cm) grade 1 breast cancer, who do not benefit from whole breast irradiation. These patients would be candidates for localised radiotherapy treatment, such as intra-operative radiotherapy, which delivers radiation to a limited part of the breast, surrounding the tumour site, thus avoiding the adverse effects associated with whole breast radiotherapy. On the other hand, women who have high grade tumours, tumours associated with axillary lymph node involvement and/or oestrogen receptor negative breast cancer may derive greater benefit from whole breast radiotherapy than potential risks. An effective multi-disciplinary approach will allow the assessment of the benefit-risk balance for every patient and ensure that every patient receives the appropriate treatment. There has undoubtedly been a paradigm shift from the notion of 'one-size for all' towards 'tailor-made individualised' breast cancer treatment in the modern era of cancer therapy.
