Commentary

With the increased use of chemotherapy in women with invasive breast cancer, many surgeons routinely refer patients for evaluation by a medical oncologist. However, it is also a common practice for surgeons to initiate adjuvant endocrine therapy with tamoxifen. The patterns of care survey demonstrates that this practice is also likely to occur with adjuvant aromatase inhibitors in postmenopausal patients. Surgeons are more likely to initiate adjuvant endocrine therapy in lower-risk patients, who are less likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy. Almost one-third of surgeons would manage an older patient with a small, node-negative tumor without referral to a medical oncologist.

Select publications

Baum M. The ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) adjuvant breast cancer trial in post-menopausal women. Breast Cancer Res Treat 2001;69(3):Abstract 8.

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