Radiation And The Treatment Of Breast Cancer

Our inaugural 42-page report, Radiation And The Treatment Of Breast Cancer, reviews the role of radiation in breast cancer and offers a thorough and thought-provoking analysis of its risks and benefits. Women weighing decisions about radiation will find it an invaluable guide. Among the topics covered are:

• Understanding the risk of breast cancer recurrence
• The use of radiation in different stages of breast cancer
• The role of individual tumor characteristics in weighing risk
• Breast conserving therapy (lumpectomy plus radiation)
• Types of recurrence and their differing significance
• Risks of radiation versus benefits
• Evidence from major clinical trials concerning effectiveness
• Concurrent chemotherapy and radiation
• Advances in delivery of radiation treatment: new choices

Reviewing the report, Douglas Kelly, MD, radiation oncologist at Cancer Treatment Centers of America, has written:

"Too often, radiation therapy is prescribed just because "that's the way it's done" without considering the merits or drawbacks for the individual. It is important for women with breast cancer to know all the options so that they can be empowered to choose treatments that are both medically appropriate and in keeping with their individual preferences and values.

"Dr. Moss has written a comprehensive report describing the possible risks and benefits of radiation therapy for breast cancer. The report shows how breast cancer treatment has evolved over the years, from the once-routine radical mastectomy, to current techniques of breast preservation with lumpectomy and radiation therapy, and now to possibly less damaging forms of radiation that treat only a portion of the breast in a much faster time."