Local and Systemic Management of Primary Breast Cancers

Preoperative therapy is used increasingly in the treatment of patients with Stages II and III breast cancer. Randomized trials have demonstrated the equivalence of preoperative therapy to standard adjuvant therapy with respect to disease-free and overall survival, with a higher proportion of women undergoing conservative surgery instead of a mastectomy. There are multiple questions about the optimal integration of preoperative system therapy into breast cancer management. This comprehensive handbook on preoperative therapy provides guidance to the clinician for patient management, and it outlines important areas of controversy that require further research.