Breast cancer patients may be receiving excessive radiation

NPR : Although radiation therapy is well established as a treatment for women following breast cancer surgery, several studies over the past decade have shown that many patients may be receiving more radiation than needed. Conventional whole-breast irradiation usually lasts 5–7 weeks. However, a shortened treatment of three weeks of radiation at higher doses—called hypofractionated radiation—has proven to be just as effective and to cost much less. Nevertheless, according to a recent study, two-thirds of women in the US who are being treated for early-stage breast cancer are still receiving the longer treatment despite recommendations made in 2011 to adopt the shortened one. In addition, another study has shown that among women over 70, there is no difference in survival between those who had radiation after breast-cancer surgery and those who did not. In this NPR interview, two of the studies’ authors, Justin Bekelman of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Rachel Blitzblau of Duke University Medical Center, discuss the new findings.