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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 8, 2026

Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies
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Proton Therapy Delivery and Its Clinical Application in Select Solid Tumor Malignancies

Published on: February 6, 2019

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Palliation and breast cancer.

Cheng-Har Yip1

  • 1Department of Surgery, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Journal of Surgical Oncology
|January 19, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Metastatic breast cancer treatment is improving, but remains incurable. Surgery for the primary tumor shows survival benefits in select patients with bone-only metastases, according to recent studies.

Keywords:
metastatic breast cancersurgerysurvival

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Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Surgical Oncology

Background:

  • Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is a terminal diagnosis, with systemic therapies enhancing patient survival.
  • Retrospective studies suggest primary tumor removal improves survival in MBC, but this may stem from patient selection bias.
  • Existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) present conflicting evidence regarding the survival impact of primary tumor surgery in MBC.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the role of primary tumor surgery in the survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer.
  • To investigate whether surgical intervention offers a survival advantage in specific subgroups of MBC patients.

Main Methods:

  • Review of retrospective studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effect of primary tumor surgery on survival in metastatic breast cancer.
  • Analysis of data from an Indian RCT showing no survival difference with surgery.
  • Examination of findings from a Turkish RCT indicating a survival benefit for a select group with bone-only metastases.

Main Results:

  • Retrospective data suggest improved survival with primary tumor removal, though selection bias is a concern.
  • An Indian RCT found no significant difference in survival between patients who underwent surgery and those who did not.
  • A Turkish RCT demonstrated a survival benefit for MBC patients with bone-only metastases who received surgical treatment.

Conclusions:

  • The efficacy of primary tumor surgery in metastatic breast cancer is controversial and likely patient-specific.
  • While not universally beneficial, surgical intervention may improve survival in a carefully selected subgroup of MBC patients, particularly those with bone-only metastases.