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Clinical benefit of radiation therapy for older women with DCIS
With the widespread acceptance of mammographic screening, the incidence of DCIS has been increasing rapidly. In addition, with the aging of the baby boomer generation, the number of older women with breast cancer has also been increasing rapidly. Despite the growing number of older women with DCIS, few studies have specifically attempted to determine the clinical benefit of radiation therapy for older women with DCIS. In our population-based study, we found that radiation therapy was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of a second ipsilateral breast cancer and/or mastectomy among women age 66 and older treated with conservative surgery. We developed a clinical tool that allows clinicians to estimate the number needed to treat with breast radiation to prevent one event as a function of the patient's risk-group and comorbid illness. This tool will assist physicians when couneling older women about the risks and benefits of radiation therapy for DCIS.
Bibliographic reference:
Ben Smith Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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