Dr. Borgen on Surgical Versus Medical Treatment of Breast Cancer
Patrick I. Borgen, MD, chair, Department of Surgery, head, Brooklyn Cancer Center, Maimonides Medical Center, compares the efficacy of surgical versus medical treatment of patients with breast cancer.
Patrick I. Borgen, MD, chair, Department of Surgery, head, Brooklyn Cancer Center, Maimonides Medical Center, compares the efficacy of surgical versus medical treatment of patients with breast cancer.
Although breast cancer has been thought of as a surgical disease for the last several decades, it has evolved to a more medical disease, Borgen explains. This is due to several competing factors, including earlier diagnosis, class prediction through genomic profiling, better characterization of disease, and targeted therapies, and a change in sequencing therapies.
A significant number of patients with breast cancer now begin their course of treatment with medicine, Borgen says. Such therapies have been shown to sterilize locoregional disease in select patients. Today, researchers have a greater understanding regarding the strength of blocking estrogen and endocrine therapies. If applied correctly, these novel agents will be able to achieve superb locoregional control, says Borgen.
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