Onkologie. 2015:9(1):22-26

Current indications for systemic neoadjuvant treatment in breast cancer patients

Adam Paulík

Klinika onkologie a radioterapie Fakultní nemocnice Hradec Králové

Neoadjuvant therapy has been until recently indicated solely for enabling or facilitating surgical resection in primarily non-metastatic

locally advanced breast cancer. Recently, it has spread its field of application even in primarily well-operable tumors with dismal biological

features as an early therapy of potential micrometastatic systemic disease. In contemporary research, great attention is paid to the

complete extinction of invasive tumor in breast and regional lymph nodes after neoadjuvant therapy (i.e. pathologic complete response

– pCR). Predictors of pCR, the effect of pCR on long-term outcome and its possible role as valid surrogate endpoint for the treatment

efficacy in adjuvant setting are being currently investigated. Given the considerable financial and long-term issues of adjuvant trials, the

accelerated approval of new drugs that proved effective in generating pCR in neoadjuvancy can be used for the adjuvant treatment.

So that we could develop new therapeutic agents and get them to patiens quicker with less cost.

Keywords: neoadjuvant, adjuvant, pathologic complete remission, accelerated approval process, surrogate endpoint

Published: March 10, 2015  Show citation