Current management of breast cancer.

Breast cancer accounts for more than 25 percent of all new cases of cancer in women. Family physicians have an important role in the management of patients who are diagnosed with breast cancer. The clinical staging system is a two-phase postsurgical process that assesses relevant prognostic factors and directs selection of adjuvant therapy after surgery. In stage I or II breast cancer, a patient's chances of disease recurrence and death depend on the number of cancer-positive regional lymph nodes at the time of diagnosis. Survival rates in patients with metastatic disease vary with the location and type of metastases. Whether surgery, chemotherapy or radiation therapy is chosen, patients and their families need continuous advice and support, especially when the cancer is advanced.