Radiation improves odds for some women after mastectomy

By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Women who have their breasts removed because of cancer may benefit from receiving radiation if they still have traces of cancer in their lymph nodes, suggests a new analysis. Radiation reduced the risk of death and of cancer returning among women who had cancer cells detected in the cluster of nodes under the arms after a mastectomy. “It has been clear for some time that women in whom the disease has not spread to the lymph nodes in the armpits will not benefit from radiotherapy,” Sarah Darby told Reuters Health. “It’s been unclear what the benefit is for women with one, two or three positive lymph nodes,” she said.