PRIMETIME: A study looking at radiotherapy for women with a very small risk of their breast cancer returning
In follow up
What is the study about?
PRIMETIME is investigating whether people with very low risk of breast cancer returning, may be able to safely avoid having radiotherapy as part of their treatment.
After surgery to remove breast cancer, radiotherapy is often given to the area the cancer was removed from to reduce the chance of it returning. However, radiotherapy has side effects and the chance of cancer coming back is very low for some people, so these side effects may outweigh the benefits.
PRIMETIME uses a new risk score based on laboratory analysis of peoples’ cancer from their surgery to estimate the chance of their breast cancer returning. If the risk score suggests that the chance of their cancer returning is very low, participants are recommended not to have radiotherapy.
People asked to join PRIMETIME were also invited to take part in the PRIMETIME Information Giving Study (IGS). People were provided with written information and a video to help make decisions about whether their cancer treatment should include radiotherapy. The study investigated if this additional information helped to reduce people’s uncertainty about their treatment plan.