Almost 10% of women don't receive radiation therapy after breast conservation surgery, although it is proved to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, according to research published in the January issue of the Journal of Surgical Research.
A team led by Dr. Richard Bleicher of Fox Chase Cancer Center at Temple University in Philadelphia used data from the National Cancer Database to assess the course of treatment for more than 10,000 women with unilateral stage II or III breast cancer. All women received a combination of preoperative chemotherapy and breast conservation surgery between 2008 and 2012 (J Surg Res, January 2018, Vol. 221, pp. 49-57).
The researchers found that 9.5% of women eligible for radiation after surgery did not receive the treatment. Factors that contributed to the omission included older age, insurance status, the facility type where the patient received treatment, and geographic region.
On the other hand, factors that did not affect whether women received radiation included race, education, income, comorbidities, rural versus urban setting, and tumor histology, according to the group.
"Although neoadjuvant chemotherapy can be used to shrink tumors prior to surgery, radiation after breast conservation surgery remains standard of care and preoperative chemotherapy doesn't eliminate the need for it," Bleicher said in a statement released by Fox Chase Cancer Center. "Radiation is still critical in reducing the rate of recurrence in women who undergo breast conservation therapy."
