Annual mammogram enough after lumpectomy

PHILADELPHIA, April 30 (UPI) -- After breast cancer patients have had breast conserving therapy an annual mammogram is sufficient follow-up, U.S. researchers say.

Senior author Dr. Scott Herbert, a clinical associate professor of radiation oncology at Drexel University in Philadelphia, said breast conserving therapy is when a patient is treated with a lumpectomy and radiation instead of a mastectomy for early stage breast cancer.

Annual mammograms are frequently conducted after breast conserving therapy, but some radiologists recommend an interval mammogram six months after the first post-treatment mammogram to check for cancer recurrence.

The study found 88 out of 467 breast conserving therapy patients from Abington Memorial Hospital in Abington, Pa., received an interval mammogram, which led to four biopsies that yielded no recurring or new breast cancers. Patients then returned to receiving annual mammograms.

"We continually see post-breast conserving therapy patients get an interval mammogram and it is always normal," Herbert said in a statement. "I think this will prompt physicians to reconsider the recommendation for an interval mammogram, which will ultimately save the medical community and the patients money, in addition to decreasing patient stress and minimizing unnecessary biopsies."

The findings were presented at the Cancer Imaging and Radiation Therapy Symposium in Atlanta.