Omitting radiotherapy ‘safe’ for older women with early breast cancer
Breast-cancer survival rates after 10 years are not boosted by whole-breast irradiation, data from over 1300 women show
Radiotherapy can be safely omitted for older women with early oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer treated with breast-conserving surgery and tamoxifen, according to Scottish doctors.
Their long-term phase III trial involving 1300 women aged 65 and over suggests that while radiotherapy reduces the risk of local recurrence, it does not affect breast-cancer-specific and overall survival.
