DBCG 82b and 82c
The Danish postmastectomy trials proved that radiotherapy to the chest wall and nodes after mastectomy not only prevents local recurrence but saves lives in women with node-positive disease.
Overview
DBCG 82b randomised 1,708 premenopausal women with high-risk breast cancer to CMF chemotherapy with or without postmastectomy radiotherapy; 82c randomised 1,375 postmenopausal women to tamoxifen with or without radiotherapy. In 82b, ten-year locoregional recurrence fell from 32 to 9 percent and overall survival rose from 45 to 54 percent (Overgaard and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine 1997); 82c showed the same pattern (Lancet 1999). Together with the British Columbia trial they established postmastectomy radiotherapy for node-positive disease.
- 54 vs 45 out of 100 alive at 10 years with CMF plus postmastectomy radiotherapy compared with CMF alone; 9 more per 100.
- Roughly one extra person helped for every 11 treated. That is a rough figure taken from the two percentages, not a guarantee for any one person.
- Overall survival counts deaths from any cause, so it is the most direct measure of whether a treatment helps people live longer.
- These results apply to the people the trial enrolled: High-risk breast cancer after mastectomy: postmastectomy radiotherapy added to systemic therapy (CMF in premenopausal, tamoxifen in postmenopausal women) versus systemic therapy alone. People in a different situation may not see the same effect.
Numbers are from the trial as recorded here; see the source links in the table below. This is orientation, not medical advice: ask your team how closely the trial population matches you.
3,083 participants enrolled.
| Endpoint | Arm | n | Value | HR (95% CI) | p | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall survival at 10 years (82b)primary | CMF plus postmastectomy radiotherapy | 852 | 54% | - | - | - |
| CMF alone | 856 | 45% |
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