Adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer: what, when, and for whom?

Abstract

Adjuvant chemotherapy is effective in reducing the risk of recurrence and death from breast cancer. Tumor stage and biologic characteristics are important when making decisions about who should receive chemotherapy and what chemotherapy to give. The results of ongoing clinical trials will establish whether more precise determination of prognosis and populations most likely and least likely to benefit from specific therapies can improve the efficacy and reduce the toxicity of systemic treatments. As individual tumors are molecularly characterized and molecularly targeted therapies are clinically validated, "personalized" adjuvant therapy will become a reality in the not too distant future.

• Authors: Catherine M Kelly, Gabriel N Hortobagyi
• Journal: Surgical oncology clinics of North America (Surg Oncol Clin N Am) Vol. 19 Issue 3 Pg. 649-68 (Jul 2010) ISSN: 1558-5042 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 20620933 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
• Copyright: Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antineoplastic Agents

Topics

• Antineoplastic Agents (therapeutic use)
• Breast Neoplasms (drug therapy)
• Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
• Female
• Humans