Don’t delay radiation for breast cancer if you’re over 65

If you’re over 65 years old and have been told that you should have radiation for breast cancer treatment, don’t put it off. And, if you start it, don’t stop early unless your doctor advises you to.

Researchers looked at the files of 8000 women over 65 years old who had Stage 1 (early) breast cancer. The researchers were looking for how long it took for the women to begin radiotherapy. The results of the study, published this week in the journal, Cancer, showed that women who waited eight weeks were almost one and a half times more likely to develop a new tumor or have a recurrence of the original cancer. Women who waited 12 weeks or longer had quadruple the risk of their breast cancer coming back.

Some women decide to cut their radiotherapy short for a variety of reasons. Usually a course of radiation for Stage 1 cancer is between five to seven weeks. Women who only had three weeks of treatment and a 32% higher chance of dying than women who completed the course.

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Tags: cancer blog, breast cancer, radiotherapy