{"id":6958,"date":"2026-03-26T00:56:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T00:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=6958"},"modified":"2026-03-26T12:20:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:20:27","slug":"breast-cancer-hope-as-treatment-spares-women-from-feared-side-effect","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthoptibody.com\/?p=6958","title":{"rendered":"Breast cancer hope as treatment spares women from feared side effect"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By ZOE HARDY, HEALTH REPORTER<\/a><\/p>\n

Published:<\/span>

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One of the most feared side effects of breast cancer<\/a> treatment \u2013 lifelong swelling in the arm \u2013 could be avoided with a new treatment approach.<\/p>\n

Patients would still have surgery to remove the cancer, but instead of cutting out small glands under the arm as is currently the standard approach, doctors could treat the area with radiotherapy.<\/p>\n

Removing these glands can damage the body’s natural drainage system, causing fluid to build up and the arm to swell \u2013 a condition known as lymphoedema.<\/p>\n

By leaving them in place and treating them with radiation instead, that risk is much lower.<\/p>\n

Around one in five breast cancer patients develop lymphoedema after treatment. The risk rises to as many as one in two in those who have the glands removed.<\/p>\n

Now, a study suggests radiotherapy could offer a safer alternative.<\/p>\n

Research presented at the European Breast Cancer Conference in Barcelona compared patients who had the glands removed with those who received radiotherapy instead.<\/p>\n

The trial followed more than 270 people whose cancer had spread to nearby glands.<\/p>\n

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\"Lymphoedema<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Lymphoedema is a long-term, incurable condition that causes swelling in the body’s tissues<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

After two years, lymphoedema developed in just under 18 per cent of those given radiotherapy, compared with more than 26 per cent of those who had surgery.<\/p>\n

Cancer outcomes were similar in both groups, with no recurrences in the radiotherapy group and one in the surgery group.<\/p>\n

Professor Amparo Garcia-Tejedor, from Bellvitge University Hospital and lead author of the study, said the findings could change how patients are treated.<\/p>\n

‘If the study confirms the safety and effectiveness of radiotherapy instead of surgery, the implications for both patients and clinicians could be substantial,’ she said.<\/p>\n

‘For patients, the main benefit would be an improvement in quality of life.’<\/p>\n

She added that treatment has already moved away from aggressive surgery over time.<\/p>\n

‘Now, the goal is to save lives without increasing adverse effects. Our findings suggest that surgery may be unnecessary in a substantial proportion of patients and that a strategy of de-escalation should be explored,’ she said.<\/p>\n

Experts cautioned that patients should not change treatment based on these early findings alone, with a larger phase III trial ongoing.<\/p>\n

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Join the debate<\/span><\/p>\n

Should doctors risk new side effects to spare breast cancer patients from lifelong arm swelling?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n