title: Adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer: do the St Gallen recommendations influence clinical practice? Results from the NORA study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The NORA study is a prospective longitudinal cohort study aiming at investigating treatment in patients with early breast cancer. Here, we present the impact of the St Gallen recommendations on clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared adjuvant strategies in patients enrolled in 2000-2002 to those in 2003-2004 to verify the impact of the 2003 St Gallen recommendations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The use of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) doubled: 65/629 patients (10.3%) vs 100/458 patients (21.8) (P < 0.0001). Following chemotherapy, AIs were administered in 8.5% of the retrospective cohort and in 15.1% of the prospective one (P < 0.0001). The use of taxanes plus hormones dropped (P = 0.0026), but not when used as single agents. A marked increase was observed in the use of anthracycline-based chemotherapy (46.3% vs 65.2%), mainly three-drug regimens (33.3% vs 46.6%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that the St Gallen recommendations have had a major impact on clinical practice.
authors.affiliation: Medical Oncology, Treviglio Hospital, Treviglio, Italy. oncologia@tin.it
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cazzaniga
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mustacchi
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pronzato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Matteis
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Costanzo
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Floriani
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D047072:Aromatase Inhibitors