ASTRO: Formula Helps Predict Breast Cancer Recurrence

Doctors can enter patient variables and receive an estimated 10-year risk of recurrence after lumpectomy

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 8 (HealthDay News) -- A new Web-based computer tool may help doctors predict the 10-year risk of breast cancer recurrence in women who have undergone lumpectomy, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Philadelphia.

Mona Sanghani, M.D., of the Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, and colleagues developed a formula that takes into account risk factors such as the patient's age at the time of treatment, the size and grade of the cancer, involvement of lymphatic vessels and the use of chemotherapy or hormone therapy.

"Our tool provides physicians with information regarding the risk of breast cancer returning in the same breast for any individual patient, which can then help them evaluate the potential benefit of additional treatments needed to cure the cancer, including radiation therapy," Sanghani said in a statement. "This predictive tool, however, must be validated by independent clinical data before it is widely used."

Abstract

Related Stories

No stories found.
logo
www.healthday.com