Special Considerations in Patients with Early-Stage Breast Cancer and Survivors

Abstract

Multidisciplinary care is the standard for the treatment of breast cancer. Even among women with early-stage breast cancer, the multiple subtypes and various treatment pathways involve coordination of care plans among multiple providers. Nuances exist in defining treatment strategies for specific subtypes of cancer and for different subsets of breast cancer. With improvement in breast cancer mortality, more women are surviving longer but have increased risks of treatment-related long-term effects that negatively impact the quality of life. Knowledge of the many facets of breast cancer treatment and survivorship is critical to the successful treatment of early-stage breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast cancer survivorship; Cost of care; Early-stage breast cancer; Genetic testing; Genomic testing; Locoregional therapy.