Breast cancer patients who have a lumpectomy, surgery to remove the cancer but leaving most of the breast intact, should follow up with radiation therapy according to the results of a new study conducted by researchers at Oxford University. The results of the study were published in Thursday's edition of the British medical journal 'The Lancet.'
Data shows that although doctors recommend radiation therapy for all women who undergo a lumpectomy or a mastectomy, approximately 25 percent of patients fail to follow that advice. The Oxford study shows that those who forego radiation therapy may be putting their lives in danger.
Fifteen years after surgery, 30.5 percent of women who also had radiation therapy had died of breast cancer while 35.9 percent of those who did not have follow-up radiation therapy had died.
The only situation in which radiation therapy was not recommended was when the entire breast was surgically removed and the cancer had not spread beyond the breast. Under those circumstances, the discomfort and pain caused by radiation did not outweigh the benefits according to the study.
The study examined data from 78 previous studies which involved 42,080 women.
Dr. Richard Peto, co-author of the report said, 'This study provides the first really definite evidence that, for women who've had breast-conserving surgery and for women whose cancer has spread to the armpit, radiotherapy reduces the long-term risk of dying from the disease. The improvement is small but definite and it adds to the improvement in long-term survival produced by chemotherapy and hormone therapy,' he added in a statement.
So, for women dealing with early stages of breast cancer, radiation therapy can be a lifesaver.
