The Optimal Timing of Mastectomy: Low Tide or High Tide?
Authors: William L. McGuire
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1991)

Editorials1 September 1991The Optimal Timing of Mastectomy: Low Tide or High Tide?William L. McGuire, MDWilliam L. McGuire, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-115-5-401 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptFrankly, I have been skeptical about the claims of chronobiologists that many important biologic phenomena in humans are regulated in no small way by earthly rhythms. These might include time of day or month, light and dark, phases of the moon, ocean tides, and so forth. As you can imagine, my interest was piqued when Hrushesky and colleagues published their provocative study of 41 premenopausal patients with breast cancer demonstrating that mastectomy done during the perimenstrual period (days 0 to 6 and 21 to 36 from the start of the last menstrual period) was associated with a higher subsequent recurrence...References1. HrusheskyBlumingGruberSothern WASR. Menstrual influence on surgical cure of breast cancer. Lancet. 1989;2:949-52. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. GelberGoldhirsch RA. Menstrual effect on surgical cure of breast cancer. [Letter]. Lancet. 1989;2:134-4. Google Scholar3. PowlesJonesAshleyTidy TASA. Menstrual effect on surgical cure of breast cancer. [Letter]. Lancet. 1989;2:1343-4. CrossrefGoogle Scholar4. VilleLasrySpyratosHacèneBrunet YSFKM. Menstrual status and breast cancer surgery. [Letter]. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1990; 16:119-22. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. RagethWyssUngerHochuli JPCE. Timing of breast cancer surgery within the menstrual cycle: influence on lymph-node involvement, receptor status, postoperative metastatic spread and local recurrence. Ann Oncol. 1991;2:269-72. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. BadweGregoryChaudaryRichardsBentleyRubens RWMMAR. Timing of surgery during menstrual cycle and survival of premenopausal women with operable breast cancer. Lancet. 1991;337:1261-4. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar7. PowlesAshleyNashTidyGazetFord TSAAJH. Menstrual surgical timing. [Letter]. Lancet. 1991;337;1604. Google Scholar8. SenieRosenRhodesLesser RPPM. Timing of breast cancer excision during the menstrual cycle influences duration of disease-free survival. Ann Intern Med. 1991;115:337-42. LinkGoogle Scholar9. SenieRosenRhodesLesser RPPM. Prognosis of primary breast cancer patients in relation to time of diagnostic surgery during the menstrual cycle [Abstract]. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1990;146. Google Scholar10. HrusheskyGruberSothernHoffmanLakatuaCarlson WSRRDA. Natural killer cell activity: age, estrous- and circadian-stage dependence and inverse correlation with metastatic potential. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1988;80:1232-7. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. RatajczakSothernHrushesky HRW. Estrous influence on surgical cure of a mouse breast cancer. J Exp Med. 1988;168:73-83. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. KatzenellenbogenNormanEckertPeltzMangel BMRSW. Bioactivities, estrogen receptor interactions, and plasminogen activator-inducing activities of tamoxifen and hydroxy-tamoxifen isomers in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. Cancer Res. 1984;44:112-9. MedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, TX 78284-7884 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited byTiming of breast cancer surgery in relation to menstrual cycle phase: no effect on 3-year prognosis: The ITS StudyA cautionary note on segmenting a cyclical covariate by minimum P-value searchBreast cancer and timing of surgery during menstrual cycle: a 5‐year analysis of 248 premenopausal womenBREAST CANCER: CURRENT ISSUES IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENTShould We Schedule Breast Surgery Based on a Woman's Menstrual Cycle?Timing of breast cancer surgery during menstrual cycle. A 10-year analysis of 133 premenopausal womenTiming of breast cancer surgery: nodes, hormones, and retrospectoscopyPeri-operative hormones and prognosis in breast cancerTiming of breast cancer surgery during the menstrual cycleTiming breast cancer surgery to menstrual cycles: Fact or artifact?Menstrual effects on surgical treatment for breast cancerRelationships Between Self-Reported Symptoms of Infection, Menstrual-Cycle-Related Distress, and Cycle PhaseBreast CancerOptimal Timing of Initial Breast Cancer SurgeryAvrum Z. Bluming, MD, William J. M. Hrushesky, MD 1 September 1991Volume 115, Issue 5Page: 401-403KeywordsBiologicsBreast cancer Issue Published: 1 September 1991 PDF downloadLoading ...