Longest follow-up of patients with early-stage breast cancer shows radiation therapy does not improve survival after 30 years

Breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy combined with chemotherapy or tamoxifen to treat early-stage breast cancer reduces the risk of recurrence in the same breast over the next 10 years, with little difference from It also does not improve overall survival. 30 years.

Ian Kunkler, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Oncology at the University of Edinburgh (UK), said at the 13th European Breast Cancer Congress today (Friday) that it is one of the longest and most recent follow-up of the randomized controlled trial. Told. clinical trials Breast-conserving therapy studies are perhaps unique and provide important information for long-term breast cancer survivors and their physicians.

“Long-term follow-up is essential in breast cancer trials to understand the full picture,” he said. “These data challenge the notion that radiotherapy improves. long-term survival By preventing the cancer from recurring in the same breast. ”

The Scottish Breast Conservation Trial followed 585 patients aged 70 years or younger for 30 years. After being diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, I underwent breast-conserving surgery after chemotherapy and systemic therapy such as tamoxifen, depending on whether the cancer was caused by the hormone estrogen. Patients were also randomly assigned to receive or not receive radiotherapy after surgery.

Ten years after radiotherapy, 60% of women randomized to receive radiotherapy had recurrence of disease in the same breast (known as “locoregional recurrence” or “ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence”). has decreased significantly. I didn’t. However, after her first decade, the annual risk of recurrence was similar in both groups, as was overall survival. Thirty years after her treatment, 24% of the women who received radiation therapy were alive, compared with 27.5% of the women who did not receive radiation therapy. .

Professor Kankler said: Long duration of radiation therapy due to other causes such as heart or blood vessel disease.Whether the patient received radiation therapy.

“Patients with breast cancer can live for decades after treatment for this disease. These findings warrant comparison with other similarly designed studies through long-term and careful follow-up.” Follow-up beyond 10 years in randomized breast cancer clinical trials is often limited: “Funders need to support the collection of long-term outcome data. shows that it can challenge conventional notions about the long-term anticancer effects of radiotherapy.”

“It’s important to note that every woman with breast cancer is different and develops different forms of breast cancer. radiotherapy Considering the individual characteristics of breast cancer, the risk of long-term recurrence inside and outside the breast, and the potential for treatment-related toxicity, it should be taken after surgery after careful discussion between patients and their physicians. “

Dr. Tanja Spanic is Co-Chair of the European Breast Cancer Conference, Patient Advocate and President of Europa Donna (Europa Donna). She was not involved in her research. She said, “I was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was 26. Like many women when first diagnosed, one of the questions I had was, ‘What is breast cancer? what is it? best treatment Can you not only cure cancer, but help me live a long and healthy life?” As this very long-term follow-up of patients breast cancer These are complex questions that patients and their physicians must consider when choosing the best treatment. More studies following these patients for decades are needed to get a true picture of the long-term effects of treatment. ”

For more information:
Abstract No: 2, ‘Randomized Controlled Trials of Breast Conservation Therapy: A 30-Year Analysis of Scottish Breast Conservation Trials’, Friday 18 November, ‘Questions for Innovation in Radiotherapy’ Clinical Symposium, 10.30-12.00 hrs CET, room 111.

Courtesy of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer