Two thirds of women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in the United States get radiation for twice as long as recommended, researchers said Wednesday. The findings in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) showed that most women get six to seven weeks of radiation therapy, despite new guidelines issued after multiple randomised trials showing that three weeks of a stronger type of radiation -- called hypofractionated whole breast radiation -- costs less and works just as well after breast-conserving surgery. Hypofractionated radiation involves higher doses of radiation delivered over the course of three to four weeks, instead of the traditional treatment of lower dose radiation for five to seven weeks. "Hypofractionated radiation is high-value care and high-quality breast cancer treatment that saves the health care system money," said senior author Ezekiel Emanuel, chairman of Penn's Department of Medical Ethics and Health Policy and a breast oncologist.
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