Breast Cancer :: Optimal Radiation Therapy Improves Breast Cancer Survival

Among breast cancer patients who have undergone mastectomy, adjuvant radiation therapy improves survival. However, there is only a survival benefit when the dose is appropriate and the target area is sufficient. These results were published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

To assess the relationship between post-mastectomy radiation therapy and survival – accounting for quality of radiation therapy – researchers conducted a combined analysis of 38 clinical trials. All of the included studies enrolled women with operable breast cancer that was first treated by mastectomy, and each study compared radiation therapy to no radiation therapy. The studies enrolled a total of 13,199 women.

The researchers conclude that adjuvant radiation therapy given in an appropriate dose to an adequately large area of the body improves survival for up to 10 years.


Leave a Comment