Neoadyuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer

Authors

  • Mayer Zaharia Radio-Oncología. Lima, Perú. Médico radioncólogo, magister en Radioncología, doctor en Medicina.
  • Henry Gómez Departamento de Oncología Médica, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas. Lima, Perú. médico oncólogo, magister en Oncología Molecular, doctor en Medicina.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17843/rpmesp.2013.301.161

Keywords:

Breast neoplasms, Chemotherapy, Radioteraphy, Medical oncology

Abstract

In the first stages of cancer treatment, it was believed that it spreaded by continuity, so the first strategies to treat locally advanced breast cancer were highly aggressive, as well as mutilating. A deeper knowledge of the biology of cancer later resulted in important changes in its treatment, such as the use of neoadyuvant chemotherapy, administered prior to surgical treatment, as an alternative therapy. Initially described by the University of Milan, neoadyuvant chemotherapy has proven to be a better alternative than surgical treatment alone, adjuvant (or post-surgical) chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone or in combination with the previously mentioned techniques. Among its advantages we find an increase in the rate of breast-conserving surgeries and a reduction in the ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence rate. Furthermore, it facilitates breast cancer control and follow-up. On the other hand, its main disadvantage is that it cannot modify some of the disease’s prognostic factors, such as the tumor breast relation, multicentric disease, scattered microcalcifications and the coexistence of medical elements which contraindicate radiation therapy. Currently, neoadyuvant chemotherapy is a pillar of the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer and is recommended in order to guarantee a more conservative evolution of the disease.

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Published

2014-02-07

Issue

Section

Review

How to Cite

1.
Zaharia M, Gómez H. Neoadyuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of locally advanced breast cancer. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Publica [Internet]. 2014 Feb. 7 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];30(1). Available from: https://rpmesp.ins.gob.pe/index.php/rpmesp/article/view/161