title: Developments in breast cancer therapy.
abstract: The lifetime risk of breast cancer in women is 1 in 8, with an increasing incidence in each decade of life after age 40. Breast cancer is considered curable with detection and treatment during Stages I and II, but disease-free survival drops in Stage III and is essentially zero in Stage IV. Breast-conserving surgical removal of tumors has been the standard of care for primary local therapy for more than a decade. For prevention of recurrence, tamoxifen is recommended in dosages of 20 mg/day for 5 years. The aromatase inhibitors are now considered first-line therapy in metastatic disease, and use of the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab has increased 5-year survival rates.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy, Chapel Hill, USA.
authors.forename: Celeste
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lindley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012106:Research; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors