Radiation therapy after breast-conserving surgery: first results of a randomised clinical trial in patients with low risk of recurrence

• Published in: European journal of cancer (1990) Vol. 40; no. 7; pp. 998 - 1005
• Main Authors: Winzer, K.-J, Sauer, R, Sauerbrei, W, Schneller, E, Jaeger, W, Braun, M, Dunst, J, Liersch, T, Zedelius, M, Brunnert, K, Guski, H, Schmoor, C, Schumacher, M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-05-2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - radiotherapy; Breast Neoplasms - surgery; Breast-conserving surgery; Combined Modality Therapy; Disease-Free Survival; Favourable prognosis; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Hormonal therapy; Humans; Local recurrence; Mammary gland diseases; Mastectomy, Segmental - methods; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Radiotherapy; Tamoxifen - therapeutic use; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; Breast cancer; Radiotherapy; Favourable prognosis; Local recurrence; Breast-conserving surgery; Hormonal therapy; Human; Relapse; Prognosis; Pharmacology; Malignant tumor; Mammary gland diseases; Cancerology; Treatment; Surgery; Risk factor; Clinical trial; Mammary gland
• ISSN: 0959-8049; 1879-0852
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2004.01.007

To study the role of radiotherapy and tamoxifen after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in patients with a favourable prognosis, a clinical trial was initiated by the German Breast Cancer Study Group. Between 1991 and 1998, 361 patients (pT1pN0M0, aged 45–75 years, receptor positive, grade I–II) were randomised to radiotherapy (yes/no) and tamoxifen for 2 years (yes/no) in a 2×2 factorial design; the exclusion of seven centres (14 patients) left 347 patients in the analysis. After a median follow-up of 5.9 years, 77 events concerning event-free survival have been observed. Since a strong interactive effect between radiotherapy and tamoxifen has been established, the results are presented in terms of the treatment effects for all four treatment groups separately. Mainly due to the presence of local recurrences, the event rate was about three times higher in the group with BCS only than in the other three groups. No difference could be established between the four treatment groups for distant disease-free survival rates. It is concluded that even in patients with a favourable prognosis, the avoidance of radiotherapy and tamoxifen after BCS increases the rate of local recurrences substantially.