Update on adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer

Adjuvant chemotherapy represents a significant advance in the management of early-stage breast cancer and, as such, has saved many lives. Worldwide, adjuvant chemotherapy has benefitted all groups tested, including pre- and postmenopausal women, those with node-negative and node-positive disease, and those with estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive and ER-negative disease. However, the significant number of women who relapse despite adjuvant therapy provides the impetus to develop more efficacious regimens. Results from large randomized clinical trials, which will mature over the next few years, will clarify the potential benefits of the taxanes in the adjuvant setting, provide answers as to the efficacy of a dose-dense approach, and define a role, if any, for high-dose chemotherapy. A shift toward targeted therapies has also begun, with the incorporation of trastuzumab (Herceptin) into the adjuvant setting. Minimizing the long-term toxicity of adjuvant therapy for the large number of women who survive their disease is paramount. This article highlights the need to develop predictive factors to help tailor individual therapy.