DECRYPTION – Pink October is the month dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. The Esmo* congress, held in September in Barcelona, scored points in this fight, with at least two major advances.
The lives of several million women affected by breast cancer each year around the world will change. We knew that shorter radiotherapy, comprising 15 sessions over 3 weeks, was as effective as the standard treatment of 25 sessions over 5 weeks in localized breast cancer without involvement of the lymph nodes under the arm.
This new French study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, involved 1,265 patients: they suffered from non-metastatic breast cancer, but with the nodes already invaded by cancer cells. After surgery, half received shorter radiotherapy, and the other half received the usual treatment. “In the end, 3 weeks turns out to be just as effective. Because we have increased doses: 2.67 grays per session instead of 2. So 40 grays in 3 weeks, compared to 50 grays in 5 weeks. The two treatments are equivalent because a higher dose at each session is more biologically powerful,” indicates Dr Sofia Rivera, head of the radiotherapy department at Gustave Roussy and coordinator of the study. Gain for women…
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