Breast cancer recurrence halved after radiotherapy
28 October 2011
Radiotherapy (X-ray or radiation treatment) halves the recurrence of breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery and also reduces the risk of dying from breast cancer over the subsequent 15 years, a meta-analysis combining results of all relevant studies shows (Lancet 2011; online 20 Oct).
UK researchers examined data from 10,800 women enrolled in 17 randomised trials that compared radiotherapy with no radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery - surgery to remove the tumour and surrounding breast tissue but not the whole breast. Surgery ranged from lumpectomy to removal of the quarter of the breast in which the tumour was located.
Researchers found that 12.6 per cent of women receiving radiotherapy developed another breast cancer in the 5 years after initial surgery compared with 25.6 per cent of women receiving surgery only, with the relative figures at 10 years being 19.3 per cent compared with 35 per cent.
Overall, the annual breast cancer death rate was reduced by one-sixth in the group who received radiotherapy.
Last Reviewed: 28 October 2011
- 1. Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group (EBCTCG). Effect of radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery on 10-year recurrence and 15-year breast cancer death: meta-analysis of individual patient data for 10 801 women in 17 randomised trials. Lancet 2011 Oct 19. [Epub ahead of print.] doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61629-2. http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2811%2961629-2/fulltext (accessed Oct 2011).
