Godae Anam Hospital "Breast Cancer Survival Rate Remains the Same Even with Reduced Chemotherapy"

Research Results by Professor Jeong Seungpil, Department of Breast Endocrine Surgery

[Asia Economy Reporter Myunghwan Lee] Korea University Anam Hospital announced on the 7th that Professor Seungpil Jeong of the Department of Breast and Endocrine Surgery published research results showing that survival rates can be maintained while reducing the application of chemotherapy in breast cancer treatment.

Chemotherapy for breast cancer is one of the important treatments applied to hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, which accounts for 70% of all breast cancer patients. However, chemotherapy is known to cause side effects such as hair loss, early menopause, body shape changes, nausea, and vomiting.

According to Professor Jeong’s research team, the proportion of patients receiving chemotherapy gradually decreased, but there was no difference in breast cancer survival rates. The research team conducted big data analysis on 40,938 hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients registered with the Breast Cancer Society from January 2000 to December 2018. In 2000, 80% of breast cancer surgery patients received chemotherapy. However, in 2018, only 20% of patients received chemotherapy.

In multivariate analysis adjusted for age and stage, the research team confirmed that the 5-year survival rate was over 90% with no significant difference.

Professor Jeong analyzed, "Due to early detection through breast screening, advancements in anti-hormonal therapies, accumulated research, and the development of genetic testing methods to predict chemotherapy effectiveness, chemotherapy has been gradually reduced while maintaining survival rates with anti-hormonal therapy alone."

Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer can progress to recurrence or metastasis when exposed to female hormones, so patients take female hormone suppressants and, if necessary, combine chemotherapy. The decision to apply chemotherapy is made comprehensively based on cancer stage, differentiation, menopausal status, and genetic testing.

Professor Jeong emphasized, "We strive to use safe treatments while avoiding chemotherapy, which breast cancer patients fear the most, but systemic treatment through chemotherapy is essential in cases with high stage and high risk of metastasis and recurrence. Regular breast screening for early detection of breast cancer and accurate treatment direction decisions are most important."

Meanwhile, Professor Jeong’s team’s paper was published in the December 2022 issue of the Journal of the Korean Surgical Society.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.