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.
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.
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.
