Shorter radiation course may work

Fewer but more concentrated doses of radiation therapy could be as safe and effective as a longer course of treatment for breast cancer patients, researchers said Tuesday.

Women having radiation therapy, which is given to reduce the risk of the cancer returning after surgery, normally receive 25 doses over five weeks.

But a 10-year trial of a shorter course of 13 larger doses showed it worked just as well as the standard treatment and without an increase in side effects.

“We think it should be possible to give fewer but higher daily doses of radiotherapy to the breast to prevent cancer from returning, without harming the patient’s healthy tissues,” said Dr. John Yarnold of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

The study, published in the journal Lancet Oncology, examined 1,410 women who had standard or shorter radiation therapy treatments after surgery.

The shorter treatment would be simpler for patients and could also cut costs. But to be sure it is effective, results of other trials are needed, the researchers said.