ASTRO: Shorter radiation OK for early breast cancers

(HealthDay)—Hypofractionated radiation therapy with incorporated boost over a shorter period of time treats early-stage breast cancer as well as longer, conventional radiation therapy, a new study suggests. The findings were scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, held from Oct. 18 to 21 in San Antonio.

Researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center-Temple Health in Philadelphia report that eight years after treatment, there were no significant differences in survival among hundreds of patients who received hypofractionated whole-breast radiation with incorporated boost over four weeks or conventional fractionation with sequential boost.

"This is good news for cancer patients because a shorter length of treatment is not only more convenient, but it helps to enable a woman to get her life back to normal after breast cancer treatment," Stephanie Bernik, M.D., chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, told HealthDay.

"At this time, the shorter radiation therapy is offered to a select group of women," Bernik added. "With more and more studies showing equivalence, the hope is that this therapy can be expanded to women with even more aggressive cancers."