If there is no radiation therapy in the local community hospital, women are less likely to go for breast-conserving surgery.

It has now been shown that lumpectomy combined with radiation therapy, which conserves the breast, is as effective in breast cancer as mastectomy. Three quarters of all breast tumors can be treated by breast-conserving surgery. Yet despite the advantage of a better cosmetic result, breast conserving therapy is still used less than mastectomy.

Researchers in the US have looked at what happened when a new radiation facility was set up in the community of Durham, where patients previously had to travel to Duke University for treatment. Before the new facility, the rate of breast conserving therapy in the area was 29 per cent. Then, with the new facility opening, it went up to 44 per cent. There may be several factors involved in wanting to use a more local facility - logistic reasons, for instance, or perceived barriers to treatment at a larger facility, like Duke. It's something that health planners need to take into account when looking at where to locate treatment for cancer if they want to offer the best range of options.

Source

International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics April 2003