Post-Surgical Radiation Improves Survival after Breast Cancer

Joan Keit, MD Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center
Radiation Oncology

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Question: Is there any benefit in having radiation therapy for breast cancer?

Answer: A recently published article in The Lancet medical journal showed that women who received radiation therapy after breast conserving surgery had improved survival from breast-cancer mortality or from overall mortality.

The study included long term data from seventy-eight trials.The five-year risk of recurring cancer dropped from 26% to 7% for those women who received post-surgical radiation.  The chances of dying from the disease 15 years later decreased from 36% to 31%.In addition, radiation therapy improved survival for patients who had undergone a mastectomy but whose cancer had gone to the lymph nodes in the armpit. It is well known that post-surgical radiation therapy prevents local recurrence of breast cancer in the breast, skin and lymph nodes.The Lancet study shows that survival is also improved with the addition of radiation therapy.