Findings show that some women with early stage breast cancer may be able to forego chemotherapy
Findings from a decade-long study about treating early stage breast cancer were presented at this year’s American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. Called TAILORx, the federally funded study was conducted to better understand if women with early stages of breast cancer should receive chemotherapy treatment
While chemotherapy is powerful and effective at targeting quickly dividing cancer cells, it can also affect healthy cells and cause side effects such as fatigue, nausea, weight and mood changes, fertility issues and more.
The TAILORx study findings show that patients who had chemotherapy had the same low risk of the cancer returning as those who did not. Therefore, it was determined safe for women with early stage breast cancer to not receive chemotherapy.
Who does this study affect?
The findings apply to patients with hormone-driven early stage breast cancer that has not spread to the lymph nodes and does not contain a protein called HER2. This includes 70% of women with early stage breast cancer, or about 85,000 American women per year.
Based on the study’s findings, it is recommended that women with the specific type of breast cancer be treated only with endocrine therapy, which blocks the cancer-spurring properties of hormones.
With one in eight women developing breast cancer in her lifetime, breast cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in America. This study is significant, because before its release, there were many questions around proper treatment of women with early stage breast cancer.
If you or a loved one has early stage breast cancer and you are interested if this may affect you, reach out to your caregiver right away.
If you’re in need of a caring, compassionate physician, the Mercy Health team is here for you. Reach out to our team today.
If you’re looking for more information about breast cancer, read why mammograms matter and how to reduce your risk of breast cancer.
