Number of new cancer cases in UK ‘will rise by a third by 2040’
IndependentAPR 2023
These findings offer a glimmer of hope to the long-standing problem of overtreatment in women with low-risk breast cancer. While the data doesn't in any way weaken the value of radiotherapy, the study's results can potentially reduce the economic burden of radiotherapy on older patients as well as improve the quality of their lives by limiting the side-effects of their treatment.
Caution must be exercised in omitting radiation for cancer patients who may find it difficult to tolerate the side effects of hormonal therapy. Moreover, the choice to skip radiotherapy, if taken, must be tailored and customized to the patient’s disease, comorbidities, and preferences.