Lumpectomy And Radiation Is Better Than Breast Removal For Early Stage Breast Cancer .
A recent Swedish study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) aimed to determine the difference in survival of patients after conservative breast surgery and mastectomy.
In most cases, when women are diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, they have two main surgery options- a mastectomy, which is total removal of the breast, or a lumpectomy, which removes the cancer and a small amount of healthy tissue surrounding the cancer. A lumpectomy procedure is usually followed by radiation therapy, but radiation is not always given following a mastectomy (depending on the risk of recurrence).
Typically, mastectomy is more common in women with lower incomes. Having a lower income also is linked to other factors such as, having other health issues, being diagnosed with breast cancer at a more advanced stage, being less likely to have chemotherapy after surgery due to limited access. Therefore having a lower socioeconomic status predisposes certain groups to worse breast cancer outcomes.
Over the course of the study, 6,573 women died and about 35% of these deaths were because of breast cancer. Even after accounting and adjusting for socioeconomic factors and underlying comorbidities it was concluded that, lumpectomy plus radiation offered better survival than mastectomy plus radiation and mastectomy alone.
This study adds to the growing body of evidence that supports the use of breast-conserving surgery (such as lumpectomy) with radiation therapy in both cancers that have spread to lymph nodes and those that have not.
Therefore, if you’ve been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, you can discuss the most appropriate course of action suited for your specific case, such as stage of diagnosis, your age, underlying health problems and access to treatment centres and your personal preferences.
References:
Source: de Boniface J, Szulkin R, Johansson ALV. Survival After Breast Conservation vs Mastectomy Adjusted for Comorbidity and Socioeconomic Status: A Swedish National 6-Year Follow-up of 48 986 Women. JAMA Surg. Published online May 05, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2021.1438
Know the cancer – Breast cancer treatment
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