To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: Breast Cancer Experts Agree On Treatment Options For Early Breast Cancer URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/16495E.htm Doctor's Guide February 15, 2000
PHILIDELPHIA, PA -- February 15, 2000 -- A who's who of breast cancer experts from medical institutions around the world have agreed upon a series of treatment options for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a controversial malignancy found in the breast, as an important new step toward improving patient treatment for this type of early breast cancer. DCIS currently represents 25 to 30 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed.
In a paper to be published concurrently by three medical journals, Cancer, Human Pathology and The Breast Journal, the international Consensus Conference Committee outlines treatment options for DCIS to help determine the appropriate treatment for each patient.
The consensus conference was hosted and chaired by Gordon Schwartz, M.D., MBA, and professor of Surgery, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University.
"Now when DCIS is encountered, whether it's in Philadelphia, London or in Timbuktu, there can be a set of treatment options available," said Dr. Schwartz. "This should set the standard for treating DCIS."
The committee made its recommendations during a weekend-long conference held April 22-25, 1999 in Philadelphia. This is the second time in three years these specialists have met to examine DCIS. The Breast Health Institute and the Fashion Group International - Philadelphia, supported the conference.
In 1997, the international conclave created a classification system for DCIS- an important first step toward improving patient treatment of this early stage breast cancer.
As a result of the 1999 meeting, the group agreed that, when possible, women with DCIS should be treated with breast conservation through lumpectomy or lumpectomy along with radiation therapy. Mastectomy may still be regarded as a treatment option for some women with DCIS. However, each patient along with her physician must determine the most appropriate means, the group indicated.
In addition, the group concurred that there is no evidence yet that the use of tamoxifen in conjunction with any of these options will have a survival benefit in DCIS patients, Dr. Schwartz said.
"It was the opinion of the committee that the role of tamoxifen in patients undergoing breast conservation for DCIS is promising, but is still under investigation," the Jefferson breast specialist said.
One panelist, Roland Schwarting, M.D., associate professor of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology, and director of Immunopathology, Hematopathology, and Molecular Diagnostics, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, presented his own experience in using biologic markers as predictors of local recurrence following breast conservation for DCIS. Dr. Schwartz noted that Jefferson is in the forefront in the use of biologic markers to help decide treatment.
The report's significance in determining treatment options for DCIS is confirmed by the fact that three journals have agreed to publish the paper at the same time, Dr. Schwartz said. The 1997 report was also published concurrently by the same journals.
"It's rarely done," said Dr. Schwartz of the multiple journal publications, "By chance, not by design, three of the physicians who were here are also the editors-in-chief of the three journals. They thought it was important enough to reach all three journal audiences."
DCIS can be described as looking like a cluster of salt granules on a mammogram. Although a majority of patients with DCIS will not develop a more threatening cancer, in some patients the DCIS can progress to become an invasive, life-threatening malignancy, Dr. Schwartz said.
As a result, the treatment of DCIS has ranged from mastectomy to a combination of lumpectomy and radiation treatment to lumpectomy alone, depending on the physician's judgement. In the late 1970s, mastectomy was the standard treatment for DCIS, Dr. Schwartz noted. The committee members include pathologists, surgeons, radiation and surgical oncologists and biostatisticians, from medical institutions around the globe. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.