…Breast Cancer Undergoing Lumpectomy and with a Pathologic Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (ROSALIE)
Some women with early-stage breast cancer are treated with chemotherapy before having surgery. For many women, chemotherapy works so well there are no more cancer cells left in the lumpectomy (piece of breast) tissue removed at surgery.
The current standard approach is to give radiation to the breast after surgery even if there is no cancer left. The purpose of the radiation treatment is to try to decrease the chance of the cancer coming back in the breast. However, previous studies have shown that women with no cancer cells left in the breast after chemotherapy have a very low chance of breast cancer coming back.
Based on this information, the radiation treatment may not be needed. Radiation treatment can have negative effects including tiredness, breast pain, cosmetic changes, and skin and lung damage.
Women with no cancer cells left after being treated with chemotherapy and lumpectomy, and, who are interested in avoiding radiation will be entered into this study and followed to see if they have the same chance of the cancer coming back as women who are treated with radiation. Women treated in healthcare centres across Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Europe will participate in this study and will be followed for 5 years.
