Breast cancer patients who undergo radiotherapy treatment can have their tumours successfully treated with a lower overall dose administered in fewer sessions than previous standard courses of therapy, a British study states.
While the individual doses in the study were higher than usual, the new course of treatment led to fewer adverse side effects.
A standard course of treatment for early breast cancer is 25 small doses of radiotherapy, delivered over a five-week period. However, British researchers have long felt that fewer treatments in higher individual doses over the same period would be just as effective.
Nearly 4,500 women were included in one segment of the study and another 2,200 in a second segment. They were given either the standard course of radiotherapy or the fewer number of treatments at higher doses for an overall lower dose. Treatment carried on for five weeks no matter what dose was received.
The results showed that rates of tumour relapse and adverse side effects were comparable for both courses of treatment.
While more study needs to be done in this area, the findings could mean that cancer patients would have to make fewer hospital visits over the course of their treatment. As a result, wait times for treatment could also be reduced.
The study was conducted by a consortium of British cancer researchers over a ten-year period. The study will be published in two parts in The Lancet and the Lancet Oncology.
