Regional Nodal Radiation Therapy and Breast Cancer Survival: Looking for Evidence

In a meta-analysis, nodal radiotherapy in trials beginning in 1989 or later was associated with better outcomes and lower mortality, indicating an improvement in this modality over time.

In the past, individual trials have examined the benefit of regional radiotherapy (RT) targeting lymph nodes for patients with breast cancer, but the trials varied as to whether RT was administered to the breast alone, chest wall, regional nodes, or some combination. The Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group (EBCTCG, also known as the Oxford Overview) has applied meta-analysis methodology to individual patient data from randomized trials worldwide to address the benefit of different treatment modalities relative to a common comparator. Now, EBCTCG has used this methodology to examine the clinical benefit of regional nodal RT to the internal mammary (IM) chain, supraclavicular (SC) fossa, and axillary nodes.

The EBCTCG's study co…

Reviewing Author

William J. Gradishar, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardLilly; AstraZeneca; Gilead

Grant/Research SupportBreast Cancer Research Foundation

Editorial BoardsClinical Breast Cancer; Oncology; Annals of Surgery; Breast Cancer Research and Treatment

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNational Comprehensive Cancer Network (Chair, Breast Cancer Panel); American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology Board)