Some breast cancer patients might not need surgery: Study

Dec 13

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Karah Rucker Anchor

By Karah Rucker (Anchor), Shea Taylor (Producer), Jack Henry (Video Editor)

Some breast cancer patients might be able to avoid certain surgeries, making treatment a little less daunting, two new studies found. The studies looked at early treatment options and alternative approaches to specific cancer types.

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Women who undergo surgery for breast cancer often receive a sentinel lymph node biopsy. Doctors remove a few lymph nodes in the armpit to check for spreading cancer. The procedure can lead to lasting pain and swelling.

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Breast cancer research

A new study released in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at whether early breast cancer patients planning to have breast-conserving surgery could safely skip lymph node removal.

Researchers studied 4,858 women randomly assigned to have lymph nodes removed or not. They found that after five years, about 92% of women in both groups were still alive and cancer-free.

The researchers concluded that removing lymph nodes doesn’t increase the chance of survival, and the risk of cancer coming back in the armpit area is fairly low.

Analyzing ductal carcinoma in situ

Every year in the U.S., about 50,000 women are diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ. DCIS is a type of breast cancer where milk duct cells become cancerous, but the nearby breast tissue remains healthy.

Several women choose to undergo surgery while others take a “wait-and-see” approach with more frequent monitoring.

A study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicated active monitoring is a safe alternative to surgery for the majority of women. However, the study only researched two years’ worth of data. Some doctors said that isn’t enough time to draw accurate conclusions.

The researchers in that study said they’ll continue to follow the same group of patients for a decade to see if the findings hold up.

Tags: Cancer, cancer treatment, Death, Health, Health Care, New England, Study, Women’s Health

[KARAH RUCKER]

SOME BREAST CANCER PATIENTS CAN AVOID CERTAIN SURGIES – MAKING THEIR TREATMENT A LITTLE LESS DAUNTING BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY, ACCORDING TO TWO NEW STUDIES.

ONE STUDY LOOKED AT WHETHER REMOVING LYMPH NODES IS **ALWAYS** NECESSARY IN TREATING EARLY BREAST CANCER… WHILE THE OTHER SUGGESTS AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO A CERATIN TYPE OF BREAST CANCER CALLED “DUCTAL CARCINOMA IN SITU” – OR D-C-I-S.

WOMEN WHO HAVE SURGERY FOR BREAST CANCER ALSO OFTEN HAVE WHAT’S CALLED A SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY.

THAT’S WHERE A FEW LYMPH NODES IN THE ARMPIT ARE REMOVED TO CHECK FOR SPREADING CANCER.

THE SURGERY CAN LEAD TO LASTING PAIN AND SWELLING.

A NEW STUDY RELEASED IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE LOOKED AT WHETHER WOMEN WITH EARLY BREAST CANCER WHO WERE PLANNING TO HAVE BREAST-CONSERVING SURGERY COULD SAFELY SKIP HAVING LYMPH NODES REMOVED.

RESEARCHERS FOLLOWED MORE THAN 48-HUNDRED WOMEN…

WHO WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO HAVE LYMPH NODES REMOVED OR NOT.

THEY FOUND THAT AFTER 5 YEARS – ABOUT 92 PERCENT OF WOMEN IN **BOTH** GROUPS WERE STILL ALIVE AND CANCER-FREE… MEANING REMOVING LYMPH NODES DOESN’T INCREASE THE CHANCE OF SURVIVAL – AND THE RISK OF CANCER COMING BACK IN THE ARMPIT AREA IS PRETTY LOW.

EVERY YEAR IN THE U-S – ABOUT 50-THOUSAND WOMEN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH D-C-I-S.

IT’S A FORM OF THE DISEASE WHERE THE CELLS THAT LINE MILK DUCTS BECOME CANCEROUS – BUT THE NEARBY BREAST TISSUE STAYS HEALTHY.

MANY WOMEN CHOOSE TO HAVE SURGERY.. WHILE OTHERS TAKE A “WAIT-AND-SEE” APPROACH WITH MORE FREQUENT MONITORING.

THE STUDY PUBLISHED THIS WEEK IN THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION INDICATED ACTIVE MONITORING **IS** A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO SURGERY FOR MANY WOMEN.

HOWEVER, THAT STUDY WAS BASED ON ONLY TWO-YEAR’S WORTH OF DATA… WHICH SOME DOCTORS SAY IS NOT LONG ENOUGH TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS.

THE RESEARCHERS IN THAT STUDY SAY THEY’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE SAME GROUP OF PATIENTS FOR A DECADE TO SEE IF THE FINDINGS HOLD UP.

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