MRIs can safely reduce the number of breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-12-06 10:30

Australia; NSW; VIC

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Some women with early-stage breast cancer may be able to skip radiotherapy if an MRI shows their cancer is localised to one area, according to Australian researchers. Breast radiotherapy is part of standard care for breast-conserving treatment, however the researchers say it is costly and can lead to side effects that reduce quality of life. The researchers recruited 443 women with cT1N0 non-triple-negative breast cancer to undergo an MRI, and used the results to identify 201 women with cancer localised enough to have surgery without radiotherapy. Five years later, the researchers say 1% of the patients who did not receive radiotherapy saw a recurrence of cancer in the same breast, which they say indicates omitting radiotherapy may be okay for some cancers.