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ASCO: Is radiation therapy necessary in early breast cancer for women over 70?

May 21, 2010

Older women with early stage estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer may be able to safely skip radiation therapy (RT), according to research to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago.  After breast conserving surgery (BCS) Over 600 women aged 70 or older with estrogen receptor-positive tumors, were randomized to receive radiation therapy followed by five years of tamoxifen or tamoxifen alone.  After 10 years of follow-up, the RT group had slightly less breast cancer recurrences in the breast, but no difference in survival, distant disease free survival, breast cancer specific survival or breast conservation.  Over 40% of the women in the study have died, but only 7% were deaths resulting from breast cancer.  The authors conclude that "with over a decade of follow-up, lumpectomy with antiestrogen therapy, but without the addition of radiation, is an appropriate treatment option for older women with node-negative hormone receptor positive disease. Further, the low rate of breast cancer deaths indicates that breast cancer mortality is not a major concern for this subset of older women."