Breast Cancer - Related Resources
Cochrane reviews
- Bevacizumab with chemotherapy appears to improve progression-free survival, but may not improve overall survival in patients with endocrine refractory metastatic breast cancer, compared to chemotherapy alone. Risk for adverse events is higher in those treated with bevacizumab.
- Postoperative radiotherapy after breast conserving surgery is effective, and appears to be safe for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast Post-Operative Radiotherapy for Ductal Carcinoma in Situ of the Breast.
- Axillary sonography seems to have moderate sensitivity and good specificity for the diagnosis of axillary metastatic involvement in women with breast cancer. Sonographically guided biopsy seems to have good specificity but poor sensitivity. Sonography in the Diagnosis of Axillary Lymph Node Metastases in Breast Cancer
- Unconventional fractionation and conventional fractionation appear to have similar effectiveness for preventing local recurrence and conserving breast appearance in early node negative breast cancer Fraction Size in Radiation Treatment for Breast Conservation in Early Breast Cancer.
- Screening for breast cancer with mammography slightly reduces breast cancer mortality (absolute risk reduction 0.05%, relative risk reduction 15% to 20%). However, because overdiagnosis and overtreatment, for every 2000 women invited for screening throughout 10 years, one will avoid dying of breast cancer and 10 healthy women will be treated unnecessarily Screening for Breast Cancer with Mammography.
- Taxanes are effective as adjuvant chemotherapy regimens for improving overall and disease-free survival for women with operable early breast cancer compared to non-taxane regimens Taxanes for Adjuvant Treatment of Early Breast Cancer.
- Taxane-containing regimens appear to improve overall survival, time to progression and overall response in women with metastatic breast cancer Taxane Containing Regimens for Metastatic Breast Cancer.
- Based on observational data, bilateral prophylactic mastectomy appears to be effective in reducing both the incidence of, and death from, breast cancer but should be considered only among those at very high risk of the disease Prophylactic Mastectomy for the Prevention of Breast Cancer.
- Surgery either alone or combined with tamoxifen appears to control primary breast cancer better than tamoxifen alone in women aged 70 years and over but does not extend survival Surgery or Tamoxifen for Primary Breast Cancer in Elderly Women.
- Preoperative chemotherapy increases breast conservation rates but does not affect the overall survival rates in women with operable breast cancer Preoperative Chemotherapy for Women with Operable Breast Cancer.
- Different methods of sequencing chemotherapy and radiotherapy appear to have similar effects on survival or recurrence for women with early breast cancer provided that radiation therapy is commenced within 7 months after surgery .
- Prophylactic antibiotics compared to placebo appear to reduce the risk of surgical site infection in patients undergoing breast cancer surgery without reconstruction Prophylactic Antibiotics to Prevent Surgical Site Infection after Breast Cancer Surgery.
- Interventions carried out by breast care nurses (BCNs) seem to provide some benefit to women with breast cancer, particularly in the identification of anxiety and depression, but the evidence is insufficient Specialist Breast Care Nurses (Bcns) for Supportive Care of Women with Breast Cancer.
- There is insufficient evidence about levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) for endometrial protection, or breast cancer recurrence, in women with breast cancer on adjuvant tamoxifen, although LNG-IUS seems to decrease endometrial polyps Levonorgestrel Intrauterine System for Endometrial Protection in Women with Breast Cancer on Adjuvant Tamoxifen.
- Compared with single-chemotherapy agents, combination regimens show advantage for survival, tumor response and time to progression in women with metastatic breast cancer but they also produce more toxicity Single Agent Versus Combination Chemotherapy for Metastatic Breast Cancer.
- Selective aromatase inhibitors are moderately more effective for increasing survival and better tolerated than progestins and non-selective aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer unresponsive to tamoxifen Anastrozole for Advanced Breast Cancer.
Literature
- Turner NC, Jone AL. Management of breast cancer - part I. BMJ 2008;337:a421
- Turner NC, Jone AL. Management of breast cancer - part II. BMJ 2008;337:164-169
- Feig S. Breast masses. Mammographic and sonographic evaluation. Radiol Clin North Am 1992;30:67-92
- Bonneterre J, Buzdar A, Nabholtz JM, et al. Anastrozole is superior to tamoxifen as first-line therapy in hormone receptor positive advanced breast carcinoma. Cancer 2001;92(9):2247-58
- Hayes DF. Follow-up of patients with early breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2007;356:2505-2513
- Hudis CA. Drug therapy: trastuzumab - mechanism of action and use in clinical practice. N Engl J Med 2007;357:39-51
- Robson M, Offit K. Management of an inherited predisposition to breast cancer. N Engl J Med 2007;357:154-162
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