Research News on Radiation Therapy
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Radiation to Treat Breast Cancer Linked to Future Heart Problems
A study looking at women diagnosed with breast cancer who were treated with radiation therapy between 1958 and 2001 found these women had a higher risk of heart problems later in life.
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Lower Dose of Radiation Therapy Just as Good as Current Regimen for Early-Stage Breast Cancer
A study compared the standard radiation therapy schedule to shorter, lower-dose radiation schedules and found that the risk of early-stage breast cancer coming back (recurrence) was about the same for all the schedules. The lower-dose schedules also had fewer effects on healthy breast tissue.
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Radiation Therapy Benefits Older Women Diagnosed with Early Stage Breast Cancer
Many older women benefit from radiation therapy after lumpectomy to remove early-stage breast cancer.
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Radiation Therapy for Breast Cancer Doesn’t Seem to Increase Risk of Heart Problems
A study with more than two decades of follow-up suggests that women who have lumpectomy and radiation therapy don’t have a higher risk of heart problems than women who have mastectomy.
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Older Women Have More Complications from Brachytherapy Compared to Whole-Breast Radiation
A study suggests that older women who have brachytherapy are more likely to have complications in the year after treatment compared to women who had whole-breast irradiation.
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Lying Face Down for Radiation Therapy to Treat Breast Cancer May Protect Healthy Tissue
A study suggests that lying face down to receive radiation therapy to the breast area reduces the amount of radiation that unintentionally reaches the heart and lungs.
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New Tool May Help Figure Out Which Older Women Can Skip Radiation After Lumpectomy
To help doctors better understand which older women can safely skip radiation therapy after lumpectomy, researchers have developed a new predictive tool.
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Most Older Women Seem to Benefit from Radiation After Lumpectomy
Contrary to current treatment guidelines, a new study suggests that radiation therapy after lumpectomy may help most older women diagnosed with early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer avoid a later mastectomy.
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Accelerated Radiation May Be as Good as Standard Schedule to Lower DCIS Recurrence Risk
Research suggests that a shorter, higher-dose radiation schedule after lumpectomy to remove DCIS may reduce recurrence risk just as much as a standard radiation treatment schedule.
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Brachytherapy More Likely to Cause Complications, Need for Mastectomy in Older Women
A study found that women who had brachytherapy after lumpectomy were more likely to have treatment complications and more likely to need a mastectomy in the 5 years after surgery compared to women who had whole-breast irradiation after lumpectomy.
