Shorter Radiation Course Effective for Some Breast Cancer Patients

At the recent American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, or ASTRO, meeting in Boston, a study was presented that noted some women with breast cancer may benefit from shorter courses of radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery.

A trial of 1,234 women with early invasive breast cancer involved following the women for up to 12 years. The women all underwent lumpectomy and were assigned randomly to radiation therapy. The patients received either 50 Gy in 25 fractions over 35 days or a shorter course of 42.5 Gy in 16 fractions over 22 days.

Incidence of local recurrence, as well as cosmetic outcomes, were comparable in women assigned to the two groups. Those receiving the standard course experienced local recurrence (at 10 years) at a 6.7 percent rate compared with 6.2 percent for the short-course group.

Timothy Whelan, MD, a radiation oncologist at the Juravinski Cancer Centre at McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, and colleagues recommended the short course of treatment for women with early stage, low-risk breast cancer because of improved convenience, lower cost and comparable outcomes to standard course treatment. The presentation was at ASTRO's 50th Annual Meeting on Sept. 22, 2008, Abstracts 60 and 5.