A new international study has found that radiation therapy did not improve 10-year survival rates for women with early-stage, intermediate-risk breast cancer.
The SUPREMO trial (Selective Use of Postoperative Radiotherapy after Mastectomy), led by the University of Edinburgh, followed more than 1,600 breast cancer patients who had already undergone mastectomy, lymph node surgery, and treatments like chemotherapy. Researchers compared women who received radiation to the chest wall with those who did not.
After nearly 10 years of follow-up, survival rates were almost the same. It was 81.4 percent for those who had radiation and 81.9 percent for those who didn't. Cancer recurrence was also low overall, with 1.1 percent of women in the radiation group and 2.5 percent in the non-radiation group reporting a return of cancer.
The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggest that radiation may not be necessary for many women with intermediate-risk breast cancer. This group includes patients with stage II disease and limited lymph node involvement, or those with aggressive tumors but no affected lymph nodes.
Researchers said the results support the move away from routine radiation for lower-risk patients after mastectomy, especially as modern cancer treatments have already improved survival rates. However, they noted that patients with higher-risk cancer might still benefit from radiotherapy.
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