An international study revealed many women with initial-stage breast cancer may safely skip radiation following mastectomy due to cutting-edge innovations in medical technology.
The clinical trial followed over 1,600 women with early-stage breast cancer considered at intermediate risk for recurrence, either Stage 2 with up to three affected lymph nodes or last stage tumors without node involvement.
All the participants underwent mastectomy and lymph node removal and got modern chemotherapies. Half received radiation, while the other half skipped them.
Following 10 years, survival rates were almost identical: 81.4% for women who had radiation versus 81.9% for those who did not. Only 29 women faced cancer recurrence in the chest area without radiation.
Study lead Professor Ian Kunkler of the University of Edinburgh stated that the results indicated recurrence risk is now “very low” with new innovations in medicines, suggesting radiation can often be skipped.
Furthermore, experts mentioned radiation remains essential for higher-risk patients but being used less often in lower-risk cases because of a plenty of adverse effects, including swelling, irritation, lung inflammation, and more.
