The SMALL Study

The study will compare open surgery with a minimally invasive technique called vacuum-assisted excision for the treatment of small breast cancers found at breast screening. Such small breast cancers have usually been treated with open surgery.

The 2012 UK Breast Screening Review showed that breast screening does save lives, but that many women may be having more treatment than is really necessary for their breast cancer. Also, experts do not currently know how open surgery compares with other safe and effective methods to remove small breast cancers. We want to find out what the best treatment is for women, so that in future we can only operate on those women who really need surgery.

Who can take part?

Women who are found to have small breast cancer detected through mammogram screening.

Which treatment will I receive?

You will be chosen at random, much like a coin toss, to either have surgery or the vacuum-assisted excrison. 

What do I need to do to take part?

If you are interested in taking part, please discuss with your doctor at your next clinic appointment.

You have a mammogram every year and either an appointment with, or a phone call from, a member of the trial team every year to see how you are. This should take around 10 to 15 minutes.

You will also be asked to complete questionnaires every year around time of your mammogram for the duration of the study.

More information

Click here to find out more from the study website.

ATNEC Study

This study aims to find out whether neoadjuvant chemotherapy (chemotherapy that a person with cancer receives before their primary course of treatment) alone is just as good at treating breast cancer cells in the armpit as the current standard of care, which is neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus armpit treatment in patients with no remaining cancer in their lymph glands after chemotherapy. If neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone is just as effective as neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus extra armpit treatment, we could potentially stop patients receiving unnecessary armpit treatment and prevent some of the long-term side effects.

Which treatment will I receive?

You will be chosen at random, much like a coin toss, to either have no further treatment to armpit after surgery or have further treatment to armpit after surgery. This will be either srugery to removal of remaining lymph glands or treated to armpit with radiotherapy.

Who can take part?

People who have early stage breast cancer which has spread to the lymph gland in the armpit.

Please discuss with your doctor at your next appointment.

What do I need to do to take part?

Patients in both groups will be seen again by the research team every year, for 5 years. You will also complete a questionnaire. You will recieve normal NHS cancer care during this study.

Find out more

Visit study website to find out more