News

Breast cancer relapse risk halved since 1986


 

FROM JOURNAL OF CLINICAL ONCOLOGY

References

Breast cancer outcomes have improved significantly over the past 3 decades, with major gains in relapse-free survival and declines in mortality for all subtypes but particularly HER-2 positive breast cancer, a retrospective case-control study has found.

Researchers compared matched data from 7,178 women referred to the British Columbia Cancer Agency for breast cancer between 1986 and 1992 (C1) and mid-2004 and 2008 (C2) and found the risk of relapse halved in the second cohort, compared to the first, up to year 7 of follow-up, according to a paper published online Nov. 24 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology [doi:10.1200/JCO.2014.57.2461].

Breast cancer outcomes have improved significantly over the past 3 decades. Dr. Cecil Fox/National Cancer Institute

Breast cancer outcomes have improved significantly over the past 3 decades.

While there were similar patterns of disease relapse over time for both the estrogen receptor (ER)-negative and ER-positive patients between the two cohorts, the risk of relapse halved for ER-negative patients in the second cohort relative to the first, while the risk ratio for C2/C1 ranged from 0.26 to 0.56 in ER-positive patients.

“The greatest improvements in outcomes were achieved in the BC subtypes known to be more aggressive, namely the HER2-positive and ER-negative/HER2-negative patients,” wrote Dr. Rachel J.D. Cossetti and colleagues from the Vancouver (B.C.) Cancer Centre.The study was supported by coauthor Dr. Karen A. Gelmon, also of the Vancouver Cancer Centre.

Recommended Reading

Enhanced thyroid cancer guidelines expected in 2015
MDedge Family Medicine
Has advertising for prostate cancer treatment gone too far?
MDedge Family Medicine
PC providers have knowledge gaps in lung cancer screening
MDedge Family Medicine
FDA approves bevacizumab for ovarian cancer, with chemotherapy
MDedge Family Medicine
Low-stage colon cancers need to be followed post surgery for recurrence
MDedge Family Medicine
'Lottery' incentive increases compliance with FOBT
MDedge Family Medicine
Total thyroidectomy more likely with younger thyroid cancer patients
MDedge Family Medicine
Mastectomies, reconstruction, on the rise for women with early stage disease
MDedge Family Medicine
Radioactive iodine may boost survival in papillary thyroid cancer
MDedge Family Medicine
Bariatric surgery an opportunity to screen for endometrial cancer
MDedge Family Medicine