NEW BREAST CANCER TRIAL EXPLORES OMISSION OF RADIOTHERAPY

Breast Cancer Trials’ new clinical breast cancer trial, named ROSALIE, aims to discover whether people can go without radiation therapy when there is no invasive cancer left in their breast after chemotherapy and surgery.

“We’ve seen remarkable advances in the treatment of breast cancer over recent years. With the increasing effectiveness of chemotherapy and other forms of systemic therapy up front, we’re finding more and more people have no residual cancer cells at the time of their breast conserving surgery,” says Professor Boon Chua, Study Chair of ROSALIE. “This raises the question of whether these patients should routinely receive radiotherapy.

“The ROSALIE study aims to generate the evidence that would then allow us to tailor the treatment, as in the need for radiotherapy or other forms of treatment, according to the individual needs of the patient, potentially saving them the side effects and the financial cost of this treatment.”

Recent information suggests that the risk of breast cancer returning is low if there is no invasive cancer found at surgery. In these cases, patients may be able to avoid the potential short and long-term side effects of radiotherapy, which include fatigue, skin redness and irritation, breast pain, breast swelling and lymphoedema.

“We know that many patients are adversely affected by side effects, out-of-pocket costs, time away from work and sometimes lengthy travel to attend what are often daily treatment appointments,” said Karen Price, CEO of Breast Cancer Trials. “An important goal of a number of Breast Cancer Trials supported research trials is to explore the safety, efficacy and acceptability of offering less treatment if the evidence supports that. If trials like ROSALIE can show that a reduction in treatment has fewer side effects and the same favourable survival outcomes – patients can get back to their lives more quickly with peace of mind and fewer negative impacts of their treatment journey.”

Advances in breast cancer treatment are increasingly addressing the cost, duration, and side effects of treatments, as rates of the disease rise in working-age women.[i]

Clinical trial participants receive the highest standard of care, including seven follow-up visits every six months for the first two years, and then yearly for a further three years.

Breast Cancer Trials is working with the Ontario Clinical Oncology Group from Canada to implement ROSALIE, which is being run at 22 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand, as well as numerous sites in Canada.

Breast Cancer Trials is currently recruiting patients for the ROSALIE trial. To learn more, please click here.

[i] Cancer data in Australia, Overview of cancer in Australia, 2025 – Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Contact: BCT Media & PR Lead, Sara McGregor – 0424 591 241 or sara.mcgregor@bctrials.org.au

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