Adjuvant Radiation Therapy Improves Survival in Rare Breast Cancer

Radiation therapy after local surgical therapy should be considered in patients with adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the breast who are otherwise eligible for radiation therapy, concluded a group of researchers from the University of California-Davis.

 

Using Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results data, the researchers identified 376 patients who underwent surgical resection for ACC of the breast between 1988 and 2005. Of these, 129 (34%) also received radiation therapy. Demographics and staging were similar in both groups. Upon univariate analysis, absolute overall survival benefit was 21% (P = .005) and cause-specific survival benefit was 7% (P =.12) at 10 years. Multivariate analysis showed that receipt of radiation therapy was a significant predictor of overall (hazard ratio [HR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.22-0.88) and cause-specific (HR, 0.1; 95% CI, 0.01-0.88) survival