Key clinical point: Regional node radiotherapy improved breast cancer (BC) mortality rates in women with early-stage BC who had received other effective local and systemic therapies.
Major finding: Regional node radiotherapy reduced the risk for overall BC recurrence and mortality by 10% (rate ratio [RR] 0.90; P = .0020) and 9% (RR 0.91; P = .012), respectively. In the newer trials that assessed more tailored radiotherapy approaches, a more prominent reduction was observed in the overall BC recurrence (RR 0.88; P = .00083) and mortality (RR 0.87; P = .0010) rates along with 10% improvement in overall mortality (P = .0022).
Study details: Findings are from a meta-analysis of 16 trials including 14,324 patients with early BC, with 8 of the 16 trials being newer and including 12,167 patients.
Disclosures: This study was funded by Cancer Research UK and the UK Medical Research Council. Some authors declared receiving institutional grants, honoraria, payments, or research funding from and having other ties with several sources.
Source: Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group. Radiotherapy to regional nodes in early breast cancer: An individual patient data meta-analysis of 14 324 women in 16 trials. Lancet. 2023 (Nov 3). doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01082-6