Meta-analysis of safety of omitting radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer

There is no consensus on the safety of omitting radiotherapy after breast-conserving surgery for early-stage breast cancer. Researchers of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University carried out a meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials (n=11,977). The analysis found that omitting radiotherapy was associated with increased local recurrence (HR 2.76; p<0.001) and worse disease-free survival (HR 1.29; p=0.001) but no significant impact on distant metastasis (HR 0.96; p=0.729), disease specific-survival (HR 1.03; p=0.754), or overall survival (HR 1.05; p=0.208).