Breast cancer patients with micrometastases only: Is a basis provided for tailored treatment?
Author
Summary, in English
Women with breast cancer and micrometastases only constitute a treatment dilemma. If only a micrometastasis is found in a sentinel lymph node, an axillary lymph node dissection may be considered to be overtreatment and perhaps could be avoided. However, studies have shown decreased survival in patients with micrometastases only. This paper focuses on the pathological work-up behind the classification of breast cancer patients having micrometastases only and on the most recent literature concerning prognosis for breast cancer patients with micrometastases. The goal was to determine if studies to date have been able to define a population of breast cancer patients with micrometastases where the size of the metastasis could indicate whether an axillary lymph node dissection should be undertaken. Tailored surgical treatment of breast cancer patients with micrometastases only is not possible at the present time, due to lack of standardization in the pathological work-up of lymph nodes, which implies that this group of breast cancer patients cannot be delimited with sufficient precision. Tailored systemic therapy is also impossible due to lack of a precisely defined target for a feasible therapy.
Department/s
Publishing year
2008
Language
English
Pages
211-217
Publication/Series
Surgial Oncology
Volume
17
Links
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Elsevier
Topic
- Surgery
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0960-7404