title: Current approaches and challenges in monitoring treatment responses in breast cancer.
abstract: Monitoring response to treatment is a key element in the management of breast cancer that involves several different viewpoints from surgery, radiology, and medical oncology. In the adjuvant setting, appropriate surgical and pathological evaluation guides adjuvant treatment and follow up care focuses on detecting recurrent disease with the intention of improving long term survival. In the neoadjuvant setting, assessing response to chemotherapy prior to surgery to include evaluation for pathologic response can provide prognostic information to help guide follow up care. In the metastatic setting, for those undergoing treatment, it is crucial to determine responders versus non-responders in order to help guide treatment decisions. In this review, we present the current guidelines for monitoring treatment response in the adjuvant, neoadjuvant, and metastatic setting. In addition, we also discuss challenges that are faced in each setting.
authors.affiliation: 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Lindsey J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Shupe
authors.affiliation: 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Erika J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Schneble
authors.affiliation: 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Frederick L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Flynt
authors.affiliation: 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Clemenshaw
authors.affiliation: 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Aaron D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Kirkpatrick
authors.affiliation: 2. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (NMMC), 8901 Wisconsin Ave Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.affiliation: 3. Hadassah Medical Center, Kiryat Hadassah, POB 12000, Jerusalem, 91120, Israel.
authors.forename: Aviram
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nissan
authors.affiliation: 4. IU Health Goshen, 200 High Park Ave., Goshen, IN 46526, USA.
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Henry
authors.affiliation: 5. Bon Secours Cancer Institute, 6505 West Broad St., Richmond, VA 23230, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stojadinovic
authors.affiliation: 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: George E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Peoples
authors.affiliation: 1. San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC), 3551 Roger Brooke Dr., Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Shumway
keywords: Adjuvant; Breast cancer; Future directions; Metastatic; Neo-adjuvant; Treatment monitoring