Radiotherapy Research - Fewer Treatments Option

Radiotherapy Treatment for Breast Cancer

New options for fewer radiotherapy treatment sessions might be possible

New research has just been published that suggests that only thirteen sessions of radiotherapy could be just as effective as the traditional twenty five for women with breast cancer.

The new radiotherapy research was published in the Lancet medical journal this week.

The researchers found that thirteen larger doses of breast cancer radiotherapy were just as effective at reducing the risk of breast cancer returning as the more traditional twenty five smaller ones.

The larger breast cancer radiotherapy doses seemed to be as safe as the previous twenty five smaller doses and did not seem to increase the risk of side-effects.

I guess that time will tell if this new breast cancer radiotherapy option is picked up and used by many oncology units. If it is then many women will find their overall radiotherapy treatment course more tolerable - particularly if they have a long way to travel for treatment. It might also lead to shorter waiting lists for radiotherapy treatment for all patients.

Watch this space ....

Gordon