Additional radiation delivered to the lymph nodes in women who are being treated with whole-breast irradiation after breast-conserving therapy reduces breast cancer recurrence, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, conducted the study over 14 years, including more than 1,800 patients with high-risk node-negative breast cancer or cancer in the lymph nodes under the arm. The women were treated with breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation to the whole breast.
Dr. Tim Whelan and colleagues found that delivering additional radiation to the surrounding lymph nodes reduced the risk of recurrence of breast cancer both locally and at sites distant from the breast. The additional treatment also proved fairly safe, with only a slight increase in the risk of fluid retention and swelling of the arm -- a potential complication of radiation treatment.
"Further research is necessary to determine which women are most likely to benefit and who may avoid the additional radiation," Whelan said in a statement released by McMaster University.
