The impact of international guidelines on breast cancer management

Abstract

SUMMARY In Europe, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women and has an annual incidence of 2000 new cases per 1,050,000. Over the past two decades, there has been a massive increase in breast cancer diagnosis, and the therapeutic strategies have changed with increasing knowledge. Most breast cancer programs are now integrated into either national or international cancer networks, and there has been a trend towards development of consensus conferences and guidelines. With this greater understanding and the publication of initial treatment guidelines in the latter half of the 1980s, there has been a reduction in associated mortality rates. Increased experience has led to vast changes in practice, requiring guidelines to constantly evolve with research findings. This leads one to question the concept of guidelines and their ability to be correct and up to date for the treatment of individual patients with breast cancer.