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The author reflects on adjuvant hormonal therapy for treating premenopausal women with breast cancer. Topics include the prevalence of breast cancer cases in the U.S. in 2014 according to the American Cancer Society, the challenge of treating this type of cancer with tamoxifen and the role of aromatase inhibitors. Also discussed is chemotherapy induced amenorrhea.

BACKGROUND: Patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive breast cancer have a higher risk of locoregional recurrence (LRR), even in the setting of early stage, lymph node-negative disease. In this sequential, retrospective study, the authors evaluated whether adjuvant trastuzumab was associated with reduced LRR in women with lymph node-negative, HER2-positive disease who received breast-conservation therapy (BCT). METHODS: By using an institutional database, 197 women were identified who had lymph node-negative, HER2-positive breast cancer measuring ≤5 cm diagnosed between 2002 and 2008 and who received BCT, including whole-breast irradiation. Two cohorts were compared: 70 women who did not receive trastuzumab (the no-trastuzumab cohort) and 102 women who did receive trastuzumab (the trastuzumab cohort). Kaplan-Meier methods were used to estimate LRR-free survival. RESULTS: The 2 cohorts were similar in age, tumor size, histology, and hormone receptor status. Chemotherapy was received by 73% of the no-trastuzumab cohort and by 100% of the trastuzumab cohort. In both groups, 99% of patients completed radiotherapy with a median dose of 60 Gray. The median recurrence-free follow-up was 86 months for the no-trastuzumab cohort and 47 months for the trastuzumab cohort. The 3-year LRR-free survival rate was 90% (95% confidence interval, 83%-97%) for the no-trastuzumab cohort and 99% (95% confidence interval, 97%-100%) for the trastuzumab cohort. In the no-trastuzumab cohort, LRR occurred in 7 patients (median time to LRR, 14 months). In the trastuzumab cohort, there was 1 LRR at 14 months. CONCLUSIONS: Even among women with lower risk breast cancer, the relatively high locoregional failure rates associated with positive HER2 status could be reduced markedly with adjuvant trastuzumab chemotherapy. Within 3 years, a 10% LRR rate without trastuzumab and a 1% LRR rate with trastuzumab were observed in women with lymph node-negative disease who received BCT. Cancer 2012. © 2011 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine intervals between surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation in patients treated with mastectomy with immediate expander-implant reconstruction, and to evaluate locoregional and distant control and overall survival in these patients. Methods and Materials: Between May 1996 and March 2004, 104 patients with Stage II–III breast cancer were routinely treated at our institution under the following algorithm: (1) definitive mastectomy with axillary lymph node dissection and immediate tissue expander placement, (2) tissue expansion during chemotherapy, (3) exchange of tissue expander for permanent implant, (4) radiation. Patient, disease, and treatment characteristics and clinical outcomes were retrospectively evaluated. Results: Median age was 45 years. Twenty-six percent of patients were Stage II and 74% Stage III. All received adjuvant chemotherapy. Estrogen receptor staining was positive in 77%, and 78% received hormone therapy. Radiation was delivered to the chest wall with daily 0.5-cm bolus and to the supraclavicular fossa. Median dose was 5040 cGy. Median interval from surgery to chemotherapy was 5 weeks, from completion of chemotherapy to exchange 4 weeks, and from exchange to radiation 4 weeks. Median interval from completion of chemotherapy to start of radiation was 8 weeks. Median follow-up was 64 months from date of mastectomy. The 5-year rate for locoregional disease control was 100%, for distant metastasis-free survival 90%, and for overall survival 96%. Conclusions: Mastectomy with immediate expander-implant reconstruction, adjuvant chemotherapy, and radiation results in a median interval of 8 weeks from completion of chemotherapy to initiation of radiation and seems to be associated with acceptable 5-year locoregional control, distant metastasis-free survival, and overall survival. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]