That five years of treatment goes a long way. Reductions in women's chances of dying from breast cancer or having a recurrence or second primary tumor persist 15 years after receiving hormonal therapy. Hendricks expressed hopefulness about another approach to hormonal therapy that is not as widely used in the USA as in other countries. While tamoxifen blocks estrogen from entering tumor cells, other drugs, as well as radiation or surgery, suppress estrogen production. Women at high risk for a recurrence of breast cancer also should be offered radiation therapy, according to the consensus statement.
Radiation therapy is the standard of care for women who undergo lumpectomy.
Recent studies have revived an interest in radiation after mastectomy, according to the consensus statement. In mastectomy patients with four or more cancerous lymph nodes or an advanced primary tumor, radiation significantly improves survival for at least 20 years. But preliminary data suggest that modern techniques, which use lower, more targeted doses, are safer and more effective, Eifel says. Now that scientists can show that many breast cancer patients benefit from adjuvant therapies, they must try to identify the small subsets who don't, Eifel says. It requires many years to answer these questions.