A Multidisciplinary Approach to Neoadjuvant Therapy for Primary Operable Breast Cancer

The improvements in long-term breast cancer–related outcomes in recent decades, including disease-free and overall survival, are attributed to both early screening and optimal multidisciplinary therapy. Traditionally, women undergo a definitive surgical procedure—generally a mastectomy or a lumpectomy with axillary lymph node assessment—to allow for accurate pathologic staging. Because adjuvant systemic therapy significantly improves long-term breast cancer–related outcomes, almost every woman with early-stage disease will be recommended systemic therapy, which may include chemotherapy, endocrine manipulations, targeted therapies, or a combination of these treatment approaches.[1] Systemic treatment recommendations are made based on estimates of risk of recurrence, age, and competing morbidities.