1. Unlocking the Power of the Homing Phenomenon: Why Breast Conserving Surgery Outshines Mastectomy in Overall Survival.
- Author
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Mokbel K
- Subjects
- Female, Humans, Mastectomy, Segmental, Neoplasm Recurrence, Local pathology, Follow-Up Studies, Mastectomy, Breast Neoplasms pathology
- Abstract
Breast cancer stands as the most frequently diagnosed malignancy in women, holding a prominent position among the leading causes of cancer-related fatalities on a global scale. Despite significant advances in treatment modalities, approximately 20% of patients experience relapses after the first 5 years of postdiagnosis surveillance. While initial investigations from the 1970s indicated comparable survival rates between breast-conserving surgery (BCS) coupled with radiation therapy and mastectomy, recent research suggests that, within the context of modern systemic and radiation therapy, BCS followed by radiation may offer an improved overall survival benefit. Nevertheless, extended follow-up studies have unveiled a notable increase in the risk of locoregional recurrence associated with breast conserving therapy in contrast to mastectomy. This article introduces a novel hypothesis rooted in the biological phenomenon of homing to elucidate this intriguing clinical observation. We postulate that a breast homing mechanism of reactivated circulating and disseminated tumor cells mediated by chemotaxis involving at least the CXCR4-SDF-1 axis may provide a biological rationale for this clinical phenomenon., Competing Interests: Disclosure Kefah Mokbel has disclosed the following potential conflicts of interest 1. Honoraria for providing academic and clinical advice to Merit Medical & Q Medical Technologies. 2. Fractional shareholder in Datar Cancer Genetics, (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2024
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