Breast cancer treatment: Therapy

Author(s): Daniel Smith

Treatment for breast cancer is interdisciplinary. The vast majority of women with early-stage breast cancer are candidates for breast conserving surgery, which may include radiation or mastectomy. These methods have no effect on the probability of local recurrence or the likelihood of survival. Sentinel node biopsy is utilised for axillary staging, and customised methods are reducing the necessity for axillary dissection in women who test positive for sentinel nodes. Adjuvant systemic therapy is utilised in the majority of women since it has been shown to improve survival, and molecular profiling to individualise treatment based on risk is now a clinical reality for patients with hormone receptor-positive malignancies. A history, physical examination, and yearly mammography are all part of the follow-up surveillance. There is presently no evidence that regular imaging improves outcomes after adjuvant systemic therapy in the absence of symptoms. Novel methods for early tumour detection are desirable, but they must be clinically useful in prospective studies
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