Long-Term Outcomes of Radiation Alone vs. Radiation + Hormone Therapy in Low-Risk Elderly Breast Cancer Patients
Recently an article authored by Astrid D. Morris, Douglas A. Hanes and Henry G. Kaplan was published on International Journal of Radiation Oncology.
Authors: Astrid D. Morris, Douglas A. Hanes, Henry G. Kaplan
This study showed that older women (aged 70+) with low-risk, estrogen receptor-positive, ERBB2-negative breast cancer had similar long-term outcomes whether they received radiation therapy (RT) alone or RT plus hormone therapy (HT) after breast-conserving surgery.
Researchers analyzed 455 patients treated at the Swedish Cancer Institute between 2000 and 2015, with a median follow-up of 9.6 years. They found no significant differences in overall survival, disease recurrence, or breast cancer-related death between the two treatment groups. In fact, fewer than 5% of patients experienced recurrence or died from breast cancer, while most deaths were due to other causes.
These findings suggest that for certain older women with low-risk breast cancer, skipping hormone therapy might be a safe option. Instead, they may benefit from modern radiation techniques without the added side effects of systemic treatment. More research is needed to refine how doctors identify the best candidates for this approach.
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