Patients diagnosed with a rare form of breast cancer could benefit from a combination of radiation therapy and surgery to prevent recurrence, research suggests.
A study published by the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology found that adjuvant radiation therapy could help patients with rare phyllodes breast tumors.
Lead author of the report, Dr Richard Pezner, a radiation oncologist at City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California, said: "Typically these tumors are treated well by surgery alone. However, local recurrences are not uncommon."
The team of researchers determined that risk of local recurrence of phyllodes tumors was linked to tumor size and the type of surgery performed.
From the results of the study, which involved 478 patients, the researchers determined that adjuvant radiation therapy should be evaluated for phyllodes tumor patients who received lumpectomies for tumors at least two centimeters in size or a mastectomy for tumors at least ten centimeters in size to reduce the risk of recurrence.
According to the American Cancer Society, the first medical sign of breast cancer is detected by a mammogram.
