Surgery Tied To 44% Increased Survival In Women With Advanced Breast Cancer

(CNN) — Surgery is tied to improved chances of survival among stage 4 breast cancer patients, a new study suggests, but who has access to surgery and who doesn’t can vary drastically, based on factors including income level and where treatment is administered. Surgery to remove tumors was associated with a 44% increased chance of survival within an average followup period of 21 months, according to the abstract, to be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual meeting in Atlanta this week. “If breast surgery is to be considered by patients and providers when deciding treatment strategy, it will be imperative to address significant disparities among patients who are offered surgical therapy,” the researchers wrote. The study involved data on 3,231 women with HER2-positive stage 4 breast cancer, which tests positive for higher levels of a protein called HER2. The data came from the National Cancer Database between 2010 and 2012. The data showed that most women, 89.4%, were treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy; 37.7% underwent endocrine therapy; and 31.8% underwent radiation. Overall, 35%, or 1,130 women, underwent surgery; the rest did not. Surgery was more likely to be performed in patients with private insurance or Medicare than in those who were uninsured or on Medicaid; those in the lowest income quartile compared with the highest; and those who received other treatments, said Dr. Sharon Lum, a professor and medica...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health News Breast Cancer CNN Source Type: news