CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Med Paediatr Oncol 2021; 42(02): 137-145
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1732785
Review Article

Locally Advanced Breast Cancer—A Narrative Review of Management in the Indian Scenario

Manjula Rao
1   Consultant Breast Oncosurgeon, Breast CMT, Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Tharamani, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Manikandan Dhanushkodi
2   Department of Medical Oncology, Cancer Institute (WIA), Adyar, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) forms a significant proportion of the total breast cancer (BC) burden in the country. It is a heterogeneous entity, encompassing a variety of presentations indicative of advanced disease. The standard of care for the treatment of LABC is multimodal, involving chemotherapy, surgery, radiation, and/or hormonal therapy. With improved understanding of the biology of BC, addition of newer agents of systemic therapy to our armamentarium, advances in surgical techniques and radiation delivery, clinicians are now able to tailor treatment according to the individual and consider a more conservative approach to management (in contrast to a mandatory radical mastectomy, decades ago), disease biology, and stage permitting with better survival outcomes. Here, we review all the treatment modalities and options available to aid a clinician in formulating an optimal treatment plan for a patient presenting with LABC and also how best to tailor the treatment to enable cost effectiveness in the Indian setting.



Publication History

Article published online:
06 August 2021

© 2021. Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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