Each year, more than 180,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with breast cancer, the most common type of non-skin cancer among women in this country. Through continuing research into new treatment methods, women with breast cancer now have more effective treatment options than ever before. Two types of systemic adjuvant therapy, either alone or in combination, are used for breast cancer.
Adjuvant chemotherapy involves a combination of anticancer drugs.
Adjuvant hormone therapy deprives cancer cells of the female hormone estrogen, which some breast cancer cells need to grow. In addition to these systemic therapies, radiation therapy is sometimes used as a local adjuvant treatment to help destroy breast cancer cells that have spread to nearby tissues. The rapid pace of discovery in this area continues to broaden the knowledge base from which informed treatment decisions can be made. The purpose of this conference is to clarify, for clinicians, patients, and the general public, various issues regarding the use of adjuvant therapy for breast cancer. The consensus statement is the report of an independent panel and is not a policy statement of the NIH or the Federal Government.