Scans help save women's misery

Tuesday January 19th, 2010

Growing numbers of women are being spared harrowing breast operations because of improved scanning techniques, researchers reported today.

Fewer than 40 per cent of women now have a full breast removal when they are diagnosed with cancer in the milk ducts - a form of breast cancer known as DCIS, according to the new study.

Experts said rapidly improving scanning techniques could help reduce the numbers even further.

The study of 2,500 women found that 70 per cent had operations aimed at sparing the breast - known as conservation surgery - but ten per cent had to go on to have a mastectomy after this was unsuccessful.

The findings were reported by the Sloane Project, set up to help improve the treatment of breast cancer in memory of Professor John Sloane, the late professor of pathology at Liverpool University, UK.

Professor Stephen Duffy, an expert in screening at Queen Mary College, University of London, UK, said: "In the screening era, large numbers of breast cancers are diagnosed at the DCIS stage.

"We have a responsibility to see that these cancers are not over-treated. Therefore it is good to see that the vast majority do not get a mastectomy."

He added: "There is clearly room for improvement in that we can further reduce the need for re-operation. This problem can and doubtless will be reduced by high-quality pre-operative imaging."

Researcher Dr Jeremy Thomas, of Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, said the findings were "encouraging".

He said: "A mastectomy would almost always cure the disease but where possible we want to conserve the breast and only remove the tumour. In the future we would hope to see that, with improvements in imaging and pre-operative assessment, more women could avoid having mastectomies."

Tags: Cancer | UK News | Women’s Health & Gynaecology

Printer friendly page