Breast cancer treatment—current status

Preview

Many options are now available in breast cancer treatment and many more are being researched for use in the near future. Part 1 (page 126) and part 2 (page 139) of this four-article seminar outline surgical approaches, and part 3 (page 151) considers use of simple excision with irradiation. In part 4, Dr Mitchell discusses recent developments in adjuvant chemotherapy and hormone manipulation that have proven effective but are still considered experimental. The success of these techniques in achieving prolongation of life in early disease and improved palliation in late disease brings physicians a step closer to a cure for breast cancer.