Breast Cancer Treatment: Less May Mean More

Feb. 8, 2011— -- Some women with early-stage breast cancer who undergo less aggressive lymph node removal have as much chance for long-term survival as those who undergo more extensive removal, and avoid painful side effects, according to a study released Tuesday. It adds to the growing belief that more aggressive cancer treatment is not necessarily better.

For nearly a century, women with breast cancer underwent lymph node removal in their armpit -- known as axillary lymph node dissection -- following a lumpectomy to remove all surrounding nodes that could potentially harbor cancerous cells.

"The thought among many is that if you removed fewer than 10 lymph nodes that the treatment was inadequate," said Dr. JoAnne Zujewski, senior medical oncologist at the National Cancer Institute. "It was a widely held belief that more aggressive therapy was better; the bigger the surgery the better the care."

A growing body of evidence now suggests that sentinel node surgery alone -- which means removing only the lymph nodes closest to the tumor that test positive for cancer cells -- may be just as effective. It has fewer side effects, and may be as helpful for prolonging life.

Researchers looked at nearly 900 patients who underwent lumpectomy and either received full armpit lymph node removal or a more targeted lymph node removal. The researchers found both groups of women had a nearly 93 percent survival rate after five years, suggesting that it may not be necessary to remove whole lymph nodes in the armpits.

"I think this speaks to the power of personalized medicine and targeted therapy. We can do just as well when we treat the problem where it is," said Zujewski.

Taking out the lymph nodes subjected patients to harsh side effects with no real benefit, according to Dr. Monica Morrow, chief of the breast service at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and co-author of the study.