Intense radiation therapy of three weeks after surgery for early breast cancer patients cures the disease just as well as standard radiation of five weeks, according to a study as quoted by media reports Tuesday. [file photo: Xinhua]

Intense radiation therapy of three weeks after surgery for early breast cancer patients cures the disease just as well as standard radiation of five weeks, according to a study as quoted by media reports Tuesday.

The study results suggest that breast cancer patients could elect treatment for a shorter period and get back to their normal life more quickly, researchers said at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

There are some 182,000 women diagnosed with the disease each year in the U.S. Many in the early stage choose to have the cancerous tissue removed, a surgery known as a lumpectomy, the researchers said.

The operation is typically followed by whole breast radiation, used to kill any lingering malignant cells which typically takes five to seven weeks, they added.

Using the intense radiation therapy, the disease gets cured as well. The results show that patients who have the accelerated dose of radiation is having a recurrance rate of 6.2 percent as against 6.7 percent for those with the standard therapy after a track of 12 years.

"We were surprised that the risk of local recurrence and side effects for women treated with accelerated whole breast irradiation was so low," said lead author Timothy Whelan, a radiation oncology specialist at the Juravinski Cancer Center in McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.

"This shorter treatment may not be for everyone," Whelan said in a statement. "However, I would encourage women whose breast cancer is caught early to talk to their oncologist to see if they are a good candidate for this shorter therapy."

The shorter, more intense radiation also cuts the medical cost of standard care by over 66 percent, the results show.

(Agencies via Xinhua September 24, 2008)