More breast cancer patients in the area could be given chemotherapy in the light of a new study showing the treatment improves long-term survival.

The findings of a report published today shows treating the cancer with cell-killing drugs - first pioneered in Bradford 40 years ago - improves survival in women of all ages even if there is no evidence the cancer has spread and particularly in those patients aged under 50.

Professor Roy Collins of Oxford University, which carried out the study of 18,000 women with breast cancer, said: "We already knew that chemotherapy improves the chances of survival for a young woman with breast cancer which has spread to the local lymph glands.

"Now we know that this treatment is beneficial even if the cancer appears to be confined to her breast."

Dr Chris Bradley, consultant oncologist at Bradford Royal Infirmary, said a decision about chemotherapy was made on a case-by-case basis but generally it was used for younger women or for those where the risk of it returning was higher.

Former breast cancer patient Liz Sykes, of Clayton, who was given a mastectomy followed by chemotherapy five years ago, said she had no regrets about undergoing the treatment even though it did have side-effects at the time.

"I felt it was my insurance policy," she said. "It does gradually pull you down but I was luckier than others in that it didn't affect me too badly."

l A second report published today of 81 patients with advanced lung cancer claims they would prefer to die quickly rather than endure the side effects of chemotherapy.

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