Women with breast cancer can sharply improve their chances of survival by timing surgery in the second half of their menstrual cycle. But most British hospitals are ignoring the finding, which could save 400 lives a year, according to a leading cancer specialist. The results, from a study of 112 women operated on at Guy's Hospital in London published Monday in the journal Cancer , confirms evidence that has been growing for a decade on the importance of timing in breast cancer surgery. All breast cancer surgery is now performed in the luteal phase at Guy's but few other surgeons have followed suit.
Surgeons are very happy to try out new technologies.
The findings of the Guy's study apply to pre-menopausal women but other research by the team suggests postmenopausal women could also be affected. In the UK, where there are 13,000 deaths from breast cancer a year, it is estimated the change could save 300-400 lives. In the US, where there are 30,000 deaths it could save 2,000 lives. The Guy's team has completed a second, prospective study of 200 women allocated for surgery in the luteal phase whom it has followed since 1991. Those results are awaiting publication.