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Is irradiation of the supraclavicular and internal mammary lymph nodes now considered the standard of care in women with node positive breast cancer?

In other words, have the results of the MA.20 and EORTC trials changed your practice?
1 Answer
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Radiation Oncology · Northwestern University
Answered on

I hope that this question can be answered more definitively in the near future. At the present time, I await publication (and untimately more maturity) of the MA-20 data set as well as data from EORTC 22922 trial. I read that 10 year data from the EORTC trial will be presented in Europe at the end of this month. Until we have more information, I consider it premature to say that irradiation of the regional nodal beds is the standard for all node positive women. We don't yet know if the trend toward an overall survival advantage seen in MA-20 will persist. Also, we don't know if there are subsets of women for whom nodal irradiation does not provide benefit. For me, the initial MA-20 data have piqued my interest but haven't changed my practic...

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