Choosing the Appropriate Breast Cancer Therapy for Today's Breast Cancer Patient
Objectives
To identify which patients might be the best candidates to receive combination targeted therapies for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
Data Sources
Published research articles, abstracts, and clinical experience.
Conclusion
Factors including tumor size, age, HER2 positivity, and hormone receptor content help determine the optimal approach toward the treatment of breast cancer in the individual patient. Further research will clarify the role of targeted agents in the adjuvant setting, along with the hope of a cure.
Implications for Nursing Practice
The oncology nurse must be aware of current and emerging therapies – whether they be intravenously or orally administered – and the proper methods to help characterize patients who might likely benefit from these agents.
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The development of this article was based on a presentation given by C. Frankel at the 2006 Oncology Nursing Society's 7th Annual Institutes of Learning; the author received an honorarium through an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.
PII: S0749-2081(07)00089-7
doi:10.1016/j.soncn.2007.10.002
© 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
