More than half of breast cancer patients receive radiation as part of their treatment, but it may not help those with early-stage cancer, new research shows.

Women who received a radiation course after a mastectomy essentially had the same survival rate at those who did not receive radiation, a study of 1,600 women from 17 countries found. Both groups also had lymph nodes removed and received anti-cancer drugs as part of their treatment. MORE: Raynaud's syndrome can be painful and annoying, but it's usually not dangerous

After 10 years, 81.4% of the women who received were still alive compared to 81.9% of those who did not receive radiation.

For many women with breast cancer, it might be worth avoiding radiation, the findings suggest. Doing so could reduce the burden of treatment

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