Older women with breast cancer may not need radiation, new Canadian research suggests

Representative image of older women with Breast cancer. by Ravi Patel on unsplash

#OlderWomen; #BreastCancer; #Radiation; #Research

Toronto/CMEDIA: Radiation treatments are not necessary for older women with early, low-risk breast cancer, according to new research. 

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancerIn Canada with one in eight women likely diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.

Women with early stage, low-risk breast cancer will typically have surgery, followed by several weeks of radiation and then a few years of hormone therapy, to ensure the cancer doesn’t come back. 

But a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine is reassuring to cancer researchers, radiation experts and breast cancer patients that patients who meet certain criteria might be able to skip the radiation part of the treatment.