As the United Kingdom's Imperial Cancer Research Fund dedicates the month of October to raising awareness of breast cancer research, new findings have shown that chemotherapy can improve long-term survival in women whose cancer is confined to the breast.
In a randomized study of 18000 women with breast cancer, researchers from Oxford University in England found that among women younger than 50 years whose cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes, chemotherapy prevented about 11 deaths during 10 years for every 100 women treated. Even among women whose cancer had not spread, the researchers found that chemotherapy prevented seven deaths per 100 women treated.
The study also showed gains in survival for women in their 50s and 60s, regardless of whether their cancer had spread: about two to three lives saved per 100 treated. The survival advantage was demonstrated by giving chemotherapy for 3 to 6 months; no advantage was shown beyond that time frame.
In the study, chemotherapy also improved survival in women who, because their cancer is not hormone sensitive, may not benefit from tamoxifen. The research was published in the September 19 Lancet.
