An interpretation of the EBCTCG data.

Published data and figures from the Early Breast Cancer Clinical Trialists' Collaborative Group are explored and interpreted as supporting a concept that the prime impact of adjuvant hormonal and polychemotherapy therapy is on soon-to-emerge tumors, with the timing of benefit accrual being mostly limited to the time of drug administration. Nevertheless, once benefit in reducing recurrence occurs, the benefit is maintained for years. Depending on how this is viewed, there may or may not be a carryover effect of these therapies in the setting of adjuvant breast cancer.