Systemic Treatment Approaches in Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most conmlon malignant tumor among women, with an estimated 135,000 new cases and 58,000 recorded deaths per year in the Europeau Community in 1990. With respect to the Netherlands, the most recent data of The Netherlands Cancer Registry show an incidence of nearly 10.000 new cases of primary breast cancer and about 3500 breast cancer deaths per year. In women breast cancer comprises one-third (33,2%) of all types of cancer. Ultimately about one out of 10 women wiII get breast cancer during her life and one out of every 22 women wiII sooner or later die as a consequence of metastatic disease. Among the solid tumors breast cancer is one of the few types of cancers sensitive to different systemic treatment reginJens both with respect to endocrine- and chemotherapy. Both treatment modalities are nowadays standard practice in the treatment of breast cancer, either to achieve cure, or prolongation of (relapse-free) survival in the adjuvant setting, or to palliate metastatic disease. The efficacy of the different forms of systemic treatment is dependent on patients- and tumor characteristics.

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