Either procedure may be followed by chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone-blocking therapy. In some cases chemotherapy before surgery may be appropriate. For patients with advanced disease or a high risk of recurrence, high-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow transplant may be considered. Thus, some women are able to avoid more extensive axillary surgery. Clinical trials Even though significant advances have been made in breast cancer, there is still room for improvement.
Clinical trials are studies that evaluate the effectiveness of new interventions.
There are different types of cancer clinical trials, such as prevention trials, early detection trials, and treatment trials. If you take part in a clinical trial, you may or may not benefit from a new drug, procedure, or symptom-control method. Participation in a clinical trial advances treatment for breast cancer. The Breast Cancer Clinical Team is actively engaged in national, regional and institutional clinical trials for breast cancer. You may search the Cancer Center's clinical trial database to find a current list of trials for the cancer or contact our program coordinator or clinical research coordinator.