However, it is unclear whether or not this treatment may be effectively augmented with other forms of adjuvant therapy such as chemotherapy and ovarian suppression. The ABC Trial involved around six thousand patients from representative groups and fourteen different possible treatments. The main objective of adjuvant therapy for early breast cancer is to prolong survival while maintaining a high quality of life. The principle aim of the Trial was to assess the value of combining alternative forms of adjuvant therapy for early breast cancer. The possible treatment alternatives are listed in Table 1.
Clinicians assess patients according to menopausal state and initial treatment suitability.
Patients who are post menopausal may only be initially treated with tamoxifen. To investigate the effect of further treatment, clinicians have specified treatment plans that are randomly selected based on initial treatment. The acquisition of data on perceived quality of life is typically performed by health economists interviewing patients who have received treatment. Given that the data collection resources available to the health economists are limited, the acquisition of quality of life data for every patient experiencing every health state is unrealistic. Decisions must be made as to which patients to interview and when they should be interviewed.