Defining Optimal Therapy in High-Risk Early Breast Cancer #shorts

Overall death rates for breast cancer have declined significantly in recent years. From 1989 to 2017, mortality dropped 40% as a result of earlier diagnosis and advances in treatment.

But for some patients with some high-risk subtypes, prevention of breast cancer recurrence remains challenging. Approximately one third of women diagnosed with HR+/HER2- early breast cancer are at risk for recurrence. Among patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which represents about 20% of diagnoses, about 40% of those with stage I-III disease experience recurrence after standard treatment.

Current treatment strategies place a strong emphasis on preventing recurrence through aggressive first-line intervention and dose-intense chemotherapy. Studies support the efficacy of this strategy to reduce breast cancer recurrence and mortality, but clinicians need to carefully balance the possibility of overtreatment and the burden of chemotherapy-related toxicities.