text_1: Less Radiation OK for Breast Cancer
text_2: "The story reports on a study of shorter course of radiation therapy for women with early stage breast cancer . Results of this study were presented at the recent American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting and have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal. (The limitations of interpreting such findings could have been emphasized.) The story notes that more long-term data may be needed to determine the safety and effectiveness of the shorter course of radiation treatment. The story notes that this shorter course treatment is for women who have cancer confined to the breast. The story lists some options for radiation treatment following breast cancer surgery; however, it does not mention partial breast radiation and other alternatives to traditional radiation currently being tested. The story describes the study and provides recurrence rates at 5 years – from 2-5% in all groups. We are told that doctors ""believe the treatments are equivalent"", but ""cannot say so with certainty"", meaning in lay terms the difference was not statistically significant. It is important to note that this is a large study, which is good, but we do not know well it translates (e.g. what size tumors did these women have, what was the margin status, what type of systemic therapy). It would be good to note that results controlled for all these other factors. More data on side effects in the groups would also be useful. The story does list some of the side effects of radiation, namely skin and breast tissue changes, and notes these were less common in women who had a shorter course of radiation. Fatigue is also a common side effect of radiation, but this is not mentioned. Time, energy and the expense of travelling to more radiation treatments may influence a women’s decision for breast cancer surgery. The story does not list the cost of radiation treatments; however, what is really at stake here is time lost from work or other activities. All of these may play into a woman’s decision to forego radiation or to have a mastectomy vs. lumpectomy with radiation."