Providing radiotherapy after surgery could prevent breast cancer from returning to the same place for up to 10 years.
This is according to a long-term study that provides a more complete picture of the long-term benefits of radiotherapy following breast cancer surgery.
Surgery followed by radiotherapy remains the standard care for women with early-stage breast cancer.
Radiotherapy targets high doses of radiation to the breast to destroy any remaining cancer cells after the removal of the tumour.
The Scottish Breast Conservation Trial, led by the University of Edinburgh, looked at 585 women who received treatment for early-stage breast cancer in Scotland – half received radiotherapy and half did not. The average follow-up period for patients was 18 years, with some cases followed for more than three decades.
After 10 years, 16% of those who had radiotherapy had experienced the return of their cancer in the exact location, compared with 36% of those who did not have the treatment.
Despite a reduction in cancer recurrence, survival rates did not improve with radiotherapy treatment.
The average overall survival rates after 30 years were similar for those who received postoperative radiotherapy and those who did not – 19.2 years and 18.7 years, respectively.
There were fewer deaths from breast cancer among those who received radiotherapy than those who did not – 37% versus 46%. By contrast, there were more deaths from other cancers in the group who received radiotherapy – 20% versus 11 per cent.
Understanding the long-term impact of radiotherapy is increasingly essential, as improvements in the detection and treatment of early-stage breast cancer mean that patients are living longer, experts say.
Dr Linda Williams of the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, said: ‘This 30-year study marks the longest follow-up of postoperative radiotherapy in the treatment of early-stage breast cancer. Long-term studies like this, which go beyond 10 years of follow-up, are crucial to fully assess the risks and benefits of treatments.’
Professor Ian Kunkler of the Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, added: ‘Our evidence suggests that radiotherapy protects against cancer returning in the same breast for up to 10 years. It supports the continued use of radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery for most patients with early breast cancer. Like other anti-cancer treatments, radiotherapy loses its beneficial effects in the long term.’
The study, funded by Exact Sciences and the Breast Cancer Institute, part of NHS Lothian Charity, was published in The Lancet Oncology.
The research team included experts from the Usher Institute and the Institute of Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh, Public Health Scotland, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, and the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.
