To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Breast Cancer Patients Still Have Risk of Relapse After 5 Years of Systemic Therapy URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/22838A.htm Doctor's Guide August 12, 2008
CARY, NC -- August 12, 2008 -- Breast cancer survivors continue to have a substantial risk of disease recurrence after 5 years of systemic therapy, according to a study published in the August 12 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Among breast cancer patients who were cancer-free 5 years after initiating systemic therapy, 89% remained recurrence-free at 5 years and 80% remained recurrence free at 10 years.
After a median follow-up period of 28 months, 216 women developed recurrent disease. The 5-year risk of relapse for women with stage I disease was 7%, 11% for women with stage II disease, and 13% for women with stage III disease. Tumour grade, hormone-receptor status, and endocrine therapy were all statistically significantly associated with risk of recurrence.
The increased risk of disease recurrence after 5 years of therapy for women with hormone receptor-positive cancer points to an area of unmet clinical need. While there are risk-reduction options for postmenopausal women who have completed 5 years of tamoxifen therapy, none exist for premenopausal women. New strategies need to be developed for these women to further reduce their risk. "In conclusion, this study demonstrates that patients with early-stage breast cancer who are disease free at 5 years after [adjuvant systemic therapy] have a substantially increased residual risk of recurrence," the authors wrote. SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.