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A New Aproach on Recurrent Breast Cancer
The treatment of recurrent breast cancer, which can localize in skin, lymph nodes, lung, liver or bone, should not be entirely based on the properties of the original breast cancer, suggests a recent study conducted by the Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Program, University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Canada.
Certain markers, such as estrogen, progesterone and Her2 status, influence breast cancer tumor growth and by studying their presence, absence and/or combinations, oncologists are able to determine the most effective treatment for each patient. After studying the biopsies from 29 women whose cancer had spread by analyzing these markers and comparing the results of the original cancer with the results of the new biopsy, researchers came up with the following results:
• In 15 cases, the diagnosis remained unchanged;
• In 10 cases, the markers had changed;
• In 3 cases, in which previously the cancer was supposedly metastatic had benign disease;
• In 1 case, the biopsy showed that the supposed recurrence was in fact lymphoma, a different type of cancer which requires a different treatment than breast cancer.
This study brought good news for people like Danielle Lee, a mother of two. Her participation in this study proved that her cancer hadn’t spread to her spine as previously thought.
While 20% of the women involved had a significant change in their treatment and others were found out having benign conditions, Dr. Mark Clemons, the lead investigator of this study says that “The results show that cancers may change over time and not respond to treatment that was appropriate for the original cancer. These early findings are leading us in a new direction as we understand more about why some women don’t respond to treatment. This knowledge will help us in our quest to always deliver the right treatment, to the right patient, at the right time.”
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