Breast Cancer Treatment Studied

A recent U.S. medical study says chemotherapy to treat breast cancer might be recommended for only 30 percent of women whose cancer is not fueled by estrogen.

After years of adding more drugs, shorter intervals between chemotherapy sessions, higher doses and longer periods of harsh therapy, doctors are wondering whether many women could skip chemotherapy altogether, the New York Times reported Friday.

Among the less convinced is Dr. John H. Glick, director of the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. He tells his patients about the new data, but does not suggest they skip chemotherapy. Glick notes the national guidelines were based on results from large randomized clinical trials.

It could be a decade before the new studies in the United States and Europe provide any answers, the report said.

Chemotherapy saves lives and newer and more aggressive regimens are improvements over older ones. So many doctors feel more at ease giving very aggressive cancer-fighting treatments to almost every patient.

Still, doctors say it is not simply that they are urging more and more chemotherapy on patients. In many cases, it is patients who want the most aggressive treatment, the Times said.