Reports of the demise of chemotherapy have been greatly exaggerated

Does the rapid integration of both targeted and immuno-oncology drugs into treatment guidelines across solid tumors and hematologic malignancies herald the beginning of the end of chemotherapy as a foundational element in systemic cancer treatment? We respond to similar assertions posited after the 2018 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting with an analysis of past, current, and future treatment of breast cancer-a tumor central to the evolution of modern cancer treatment principles. Our conclusions assert that reports of the demise of chemotherapy are greatly exaggerated and, as chemotherapy is likely to remain foundational for years to come, research is warranted to improve its patient-centricity.