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Systemic treatment of early breast cancer—a biological perspective
Author(s) -
Greenberg Sally,
Stopeck Alison,
Rugo Hope S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.21842
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , systemic therapy , adjuvant , radiation therapy , adjuvant radiotherapy , cancer , oncology , adjuvant therapy , stage (stratigraphy) , lymph , pathology , paleontology , biology
Breast cancer is the most common non‐skin cancer affecting women worldwide. In the United States, over 90% of tumors are diagnosed as either in situ or localized to the breast or regional lymph nodes. Surgical treatment and adjuvant radiotherapy play an important role in loco‐regional treatment of early stage breast cancer. Systemic adjuvant therapy is targeted towards isolated circulating and/or disseminated tumor cells to prevent systemic recurrence. This review will describe the diverse tumor biology of human breast cancer and how it influences decisions with regard to the use of adjuvant therapies. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011;103:619–626. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.