Treatment choices and response rates in African-American women with breast carcinoma

✍ Scribed by Lisa A. Newman; Richard Theriault; Neil Clendinnin; Dennie Jones; Lori Pierce

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2002
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 87 KB
• Volume: 97
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0008-543X
• DOI: 10.1002/cncr.11015

✦ Synopsis

Background:

Breast cancer mortality rates are higher among african-american women compared with white american women, yet little is known regarding ethnicity-related variation in patterns of primary surgical treatment, locoregional recurrence rates, and response to induction chemotherapy.

Methods:

The available literature was reviewed to evaluate outcome from breast-conservation therapy in african-american women and response rates to systemic therapy.

Results:

Breast-conservation therapy appears to be underused among african-american women, a pattern that is noted also among white women with breast carcinoma. higher rates of locoregional recurrence are seen among african-american women regardless of whether they receive breast-conserving treatment or undergo mastectomy, and this appears to be a function of primary tumor biology. response rates to appropriately delivered systemic therapy are similar for african-american patients and white patients.

Conclusions:

Despite the apparent increased aggressiveness of disease seen in african-american women with breast carcinoma, patterns of response to local and systemic therapy are similar to the patterns seen in white women with breast carcinoma.