Some breast cancer patients who respond well to chemotherapy may not need surgery, according to a new study.
The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found that among women with early-stage breast cancer, those who had a high response to chemotherapy were less likely to have a recurrence if they did not have surgery.
The findings suggest that in some cases, chemotherapy may be enough to treat early-stage breast cancer.
The study looked at data from the Trials of Axillary Dissection and Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer (TARGIT-A) trial, which included 3,000 women with early-stage breast cancer.
The women were randomly assigned to have either surgery (lumpectomy or mastectomy) or no surgery, and all received radiation therapy.
The researchers found that among the women who had a high response to chemotherapy, those who did not have surgery were less likely to have a recurrence at five years than those who did have surgery.
The findings suggest that in some cases, chemotherapy may be enough to treat early-stage breast cancer.
The study was limited by its observational design, and the findings need to be confirmed in a larger, randomized trial.
Still, the findings add to the growing body of evidence that in some cases, chemotherapy may be an effective treatment for early-stage breast cancer, and that surgery may not be necessary.
Some breast cancer patients with high responses to chemotherapy may not need surgery, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The study, led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), found that a significant minority of women with early-stage breast cancer had such high responses to chemotherapy that they did not need surgery to remove their tumors.
The findings suggest that a significant number of women with early-stage breast cancer could be treated with chemotherapy alone, sparing them the need for surgery.
The study involved 92 women with early-stage breast cancer who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy given before surgery to shrink the tumor).
Of these women, 21 (23 percent) had such high responses to chemotherapy that they did not need surgery to remove their tumors.
“Our study shows that a significant minority of women with early-stage breast cancer can be safely treated with chemotherapy alone, without the need for surgery,” said senior author Dr. Laura Esserman, director of the UCSF Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center.
“This is an important finding that could spare many women the need for surgery, with its associated risks and side effects.”
While the findings need to be confirmed in larger studies, they offer hope that a significant number of women with early-stage breast cancer could be treated with chemotherapy alone.
Further studies are needed to identify which women are most likely to respond to chemotherapy and to confirm the long-term safety of this approach.
