Breast cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology

The therapeutic options for patients with noninvasive or invasive breast cancer are complex and varied. In many situations, the patient and physician have the responsibility to explore and select jointly the most appropriate option from among the available alternatives. With rare exceptions, the evaluation, treatment, and follow-up recommendations in these guidelines were based largely on the results of past and present clinical trials. However, there is not a single clinical situation in which the treatment of breast cancer has been optimized with respect to either maximizing cure or minimizing toxicity and disfigurement. Therefore, patient/physician participation in prospective clinical trials allows patients to not only receive state-of-the-art cancer treatment but also to contribute to improving the treatment of future patients.