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A shorter course of irradiation after breast cancer lumpectomy is as effective as a longer course, reported Dr. Timothy Whelan of McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont., and his colleagues.
Their study prospectively compared irradiation on a 22-day schedule, in which 42.5 Gy total was delivered, with a 35-day schedule, in which 50 Gy was delivered, the current standard of practice in the United States. Local recurrence-free survival at 5 years was 97% in the 622 patients in the short-course group and 96% in the 612 patients in the long-course group. This difference between groups was not statistically significant (J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 94[15]:1143-50, 2002).
Cosmetic outcome, which was used as a measure of late radiation damage, was also the same. At 5 years, 77% of short- and long-course patients had either an excellent or good cosmetic outcome.
In an editorial accompanying the report, ...
Source: HighBeam Research, Brief postlumpectomy irradiation seems effective. (Prospective Study).