Advances in managing breast cancer: a clinical update

Although substantial progress has been made in the screening and management of breast cancer, globally it remains the most common cause of cancer and cancer death in women. While breast cancer is potentially curable when detected at an early stage, it remains incurable in the metastatic setting. Thus, given its high prevalence, improved prevention and treatment of metastases remains a clinically meaningful unmet need. We review here the advances made in the last several years in the screening and treatment of breast cancer and explore how our increased insight into the underlying biology of breast cancer has influenced our efforts to individualize patient care.