Breast conservation treatment may led to longer overall survival than other treatment methods for early stage breast cancer, according to a study published in The Journal of Community and Supportive Oncology.
Currently, breast conservation treatment—the use of breast conserving surgery (BCS) followed by whole breast radiation therapy—is the standard of care for women who present with early-stage breast cancer; a recommendation that is supported by a significant body of evidence showing it to be just as effective as mastectomy in terms of overall survival (OS).
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In a study led by Leslie Botnick, MD, chief medical officer for Vantage Oncology, researchers evaluated present-day rates of BCT and OS after BCT among women with early-stage breast cancer treated at larger community hospital settings and compared those rates with national averages.
A total of 1172 patients diagnosed with T1-2, N0 breast cancer between 1997 and 2007 who also underwent mastectomy or BCS at a large-scale community cancer center were included in the study. The results of these patients were then compared to those found in a search of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (N = 232,898) for the same treatment period.
Results showed that the rate of BCS or lumpectomy was higher among those treated at the community practice compared with the national average (90.9% vs 66.4%, respectively). Similarly, the rate of receipt of radiation after BCS in the community center was 93.7%, which was also significantly higher than the national average of 74.4%. In addition, the researchers estimated that 92.5% of patients treated at the community cancer center survived at least 10-years, while the national average was only 82.4% for those who received BCS plus adjuvant radiation therapy.
“We have been treating breast cancer patients in the community setting for several decades and believe we have positively influenced the level of quality care, “Dr Botnick said in a press release. “We now have demonstration that breast cancer treatment in the community setting has excellent results, with survival rates as good – if not better – than the national average, which includes treatment in the hospital .”
Researchers concluded that, despite trends toward more mastectomies, their results support continuing use of BCT, including the added value of adjuvant radiation therapy, for patients with early-stage breast cancer.
