Dear sevenofnine, Information that is often used to determine whether adjuvant treatment (treatment given after surgery to try to prevent or minimize the growth of microscopic deposits of tumor cells that might grow into a
recurrentRecurrent cystitis tumor)would be recommended are tumor size,
nodeLymph node biopsy
Swollen glands
Swollen lymph nodes in the groin
Swollen lymph nodes under arm status,
estrogenHormone replacement therapy receptor status. On the basis of available data, it is accepted practice to offer cytotoxic chemotherapy to most women with primary cancers larger than 1cm in diameter (both node-negative and node-positive).
Adjuvant hormonal therapy should be recommended to women whose breast tumors contain hormone receptor protein, regardless of age, menopausal status, involvment of lymph nodes, or tumor size. Possible exceptions to this recommendation include premenopausal women with tumors less than 10mm in size who wish to avoid the symptoms of estrogen deprivation or elderly women with similarly sized cancers who have a history of blood clotting disorder.
Tamoxifen is the most commonly used form of hormonal therapy. There are no data currently to support the use of raloxifene or aromatase inhibitors as adjuvant hormone therapy, although clinical trials of their use in the adjuvant setting are currently being done.
This information comes from the National Institute of Health Consensus statment of adjuvant therapy for breast cancer, December, 2000.
Evista is currently FDA approved for use in prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women. There are studies looking at it's role in a prevention setting for women at high-risk of developing breast cancer.