Some breast cancer patients might not need surgery: Study

[KARAH RUCKER]

SOME BREAST CANCER PATIENTS CAN AVOID CERTAIN SURGIES – MAKING THEIR TREATMENT A LITTLE LESS DAUNTING BOTH MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY, ACCORDING TO TWO NEW STUDIES.

ONE STUDY LOOKED AT WHETHER REMOVING LYMPH NODES IS **ALWAYS** NECESSARY IN TREATING EARLY BREAST CANCER… WHILE THE OTHER SUGGESTS AN ALTERNATIVE APPROACH TO A CERATIN TYPE OF BREAST CANCER CALLED “DUCTAL CARCINOMA IN SITU” – OR D-C-I-S.

WOMEN WHO HAVE SURGERY FOR BREAST CANCER ALSO OFTEN HAVE WHAT’S CALLED A SENTINEL LYMPH NODE BIOPSY.

THAT’S WHERE A FEW LYMPH NODES IN THE ARMPIT ARE REMOVED TO CHECK FOR SPREADING CANCER.

THE SURGERY CAN LEAD TO LASTING PAIN AND SWELLING.

A NEW STUDY RELEASED IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE LOOKED AT WHETHER WOMEN WITH EARLY BREAST CANCER WHO WERE PLANNING TO HAVE BREAST-CONSERVING SURGERY COULD SAFELY SKIP HAVING LYMPH NODES REMOVED.

RESEARCHERS FOLLOWED MORE THAN 48-HUNDRED WOMEN…

WHO WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO HAVE LYMPH NODES REMOVED OR NOT.

THEY FOUND THAT AFTER 5 YEARS – ABOUT 92 PERCENT OF WOMEN IN **BOTH** GROUPS WERE STILL ALIVE AND CANCER-FREE… MEANING REMOVING LYMPH NODES DOESN’T INCREASE THE CHANCE OF SURVIVAL – AND THE RISK OF CANCER COMING BACK IN THE ARMPIT AREA IS PRETTY LOW.

EVERY YEAR IN THE U-S – ABOUT 50-THOUSAND WOMEN ARE DIAGNOSED WITH D-C-I-S.

IT’S A FORM OF THE DISEASE WHERE THE CELLS THAT LINE MILK DUCTS BECOME CANCEROUS – BUT THE NEARBY BREAST TISSUE STAYS HEALTHY.

MANY WOMEN CHOOSE TO HAVE SURGERY.. WHILE OTHERS TAKE A “WAIT-AND-SEE” APPROACH WITH MORE FREQUENT MONITORING.

THE STUDY PUBLISHED THIS WEEK IN THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION INDICATED ACTIVE MONITORING **IS** A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO SURGERY FOR MANY WOMEN.

HOWEVER, THAT STUDY WAS BASED ON ONLY TWO-YEAR’S WORTH OF DATA… WHICH SOME DOCTORS SAY IS NOT LONG ENOUGH TO DRAW CONCLUSIONS.

THE RESEARCHERS IN THAT STUDY SAY THEY’LL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE SAME GROUP OF PATIENTS FOR A DECADE TO SEE IF THE FINDINGS HOLD UP.

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