Management of locally advanced breast cancer. Mini-review.

The term locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) encompasses a heterogeneous group of breast neoplasms; in the last revision of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system, all of stage III disease is considered locally advanced. LABC constitutes up to 20% of breast cancer in medically underserved populations in the United States and up to 75% of breast cancers in developing countries. The prognosis depends on tumor size, extent of lymph node involvement, and the presence or absence of an inflammatory component. The clinical management of LABC is complex and should be tailored to the individual patient. However, a multidisciplinary approach is always recommended combining surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy (chemotherapy and/or hormone therapy). In this paper, we discuss the possible options in the management of operable (stage IIIA) and inoperable (stage IIIB-IIIC) LABC.