There has been a major breakthrough concerning the side-effects of breast cancer treatment.
Findings published in medical journal The Lancet show that a more targetted treatment could limit the after effects of breast cancer therapy.
The research shows that patients who receive radiotherapy directly on their original tumour site experience fewer side-effects than those who have the treatment over their entire breast.
The findings have been considered an enormous success, with researchers saying that the data has “the potential to lead to a real change in the way selected breast cancer patients are treated.”
Chief investigator for the trial, Dr. Charlotte Coles, said:
“We started this trial because there was evidence that if someone’s cancer returns, it tends to do so close to the site of the original tumour, suggesting that some women receive unnecessary radiation to the whole breast.
“Now we have evidence to support the use of less, but equally effective, radiotherapy for selected patients.”
The side-effects of breast cancer treatment can include hair loss, aches, and fatigue.
The study was conducted at 30 radiotherapy centres across the UK. It included data from over 2,000 women over the age of 50 who had early stage breast cancer that was at low risk of returning.
Professor Arnie Purushotham of Cancer Research UK has said that the findings could “spare many women significant physical discomfort and emotional distress.”
