Researchers from Oxford’s Radcliffe Infirmary report that breast cancer deaths have dropped 25 percent since 1987 on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. The decline applies to women ages 20 to 69, but was particularly pronounced among women 50 to 69. A separate study published in the same issue of The Lancet gave a mixed review on the benefits of radiation therapy, another common non-surgical treatment for breast cancer. British researchers analyzed data on 40 clinical trials involving 20,000 women 10 years and 20 years after they had undergone radiation therapy. Results show two-thirds of the women experienced a reduction in local recurrence of their cancer. However, radiation therapy carries an increase in the risk of vascular disease.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Lancet, 5/19/00
