Surgeon and Radiation Oncologist Views on Omission of Adjuvant Radiotherapy for Older Women with Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Although clinical trials have shown no survival advantage and only a modest improvement in local control from adjuvant radiotherapy after lumpectomy in older women with stage I, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer, radiotherapy is commonly administered, raising concerns about overtreatment. Therefore, we sought to evaluate physician views on omission of radiotherapy in older women with favorable prognosis breast cancer.

Methods: We surveyed a national sample of 713 radiation oncologists and 879 surgeons.