CancerWise provides GPs and cancer specialists with a quarterly review of the latest developments in cancer care. Written by opinion leaders, the journal's vibrant mix of news, clinical reviews, abstracts and meeting reports provides the busy specialist and GP with a snapshot of the changing face of cancer care.

CancerWise also publishes regular updates from the Irish Cancer Society, the Cork Cancer Research Centre and the Irish Association for Nurses in Oncology.

Editorial:

The current issue of Cancerwise reflects the breadth of issues in cancer care in Ireland from incidence, prevention to
treatment and supportive care and emphasises the significant advances in cancer medicine that has occurred in recent decades.

As I write, the counts in the 2007 General Election are starting. Healthcare issues dominated the election campaign and hopefully will be reflected in focusing on continuing to improve cancer care in our country. In this regard, the newly elected Government will have an excellent blue print for enhancing cancer care in Ireland with the recently published National Cancer Strategy. It is hoped that the public anxiety expressed about our health services will be translated into improved patient care allowing the advances discussed in the articles in this edition to be realised for our patients and their families.

Dr Seamus O’Reilly
Editor, Cork University Hospital, Cork

Download Cancerwise Magazine, Summer 2007

PDF format, 2.6MB, 36Pages.

Contents (Volume 6 • Issue 2 • Summer 2007):

Recent cancer trends and projections in Ireland
Dr Harry Comber

Biological treatments for breast cancer
Dr Maeve Waldron Lynch
Professor Desmond Carney

The prevention of cervical cancer
Professor Walter Prendiville

Status of psycho-oncology internationally and in Ireland
Dr Shawn Steggles
Aidan McKiernan

Working towards a world class cervical
screening programme for Irish women
Dr Cara Martin
Professor John J O’Leary

Case report: Unusual presentation of pleural schwannoma
Dr Safwat Hamad
Dr Nehal Shams

NICB
Cork Cancer Research Center
Irish Cancer Society
IANO news
Pharma news
News
Otherwise

Visit Cancerwise Official Website

Biological treatments for breast cancer

INTRODUCTION
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in women in Ireland. More than 25,000 women in Ireland are living with a diagnosis of breast cancer, and it was estimated that 2,171 new cases were diagnosed and 650 women died from their disease during 2007.

Breast cancer is, in reality, a heterogeneous group of tumours, defined by various biological hallmarks. Substantial
advances in the treatment of both early and advanced stage breast cancer have been made in the past number of years, none more so than in the area of biological therapies.

HORMONAL THERAPIES
About 60% of breast tumours express the oestrogen receptor (ER+). In patients with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, five years of tamoxifen reduces the risk of breast cancer recurrence by 47% and the risk of death by 26%. Tamoxifen also reduces the incidence of contralateral and second primary breast cancer.

Tamoxifen is relatively well tolerated, however the drug is not perfect, as about half the treated women relapse over time. Embolic events and endometrial carcinoma are among the most serious adverse effects and, although rare, should not be overlooked. These risks are lower in premenopausal women where the benefits outweigh the risks of treatment overall.

Tamoxifen may also play a role in breast cancer prevention. Two trials have found that contralateral breast cancer incidence in women treated with adjuvant tamoxifen was reduced by up to 49%. ...

Comments (0)

Show/Hide comments

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Add Comment