Dr. Piccart on the Importance of De-Escalation in Early Breast Cancer

Martine J. Piccart, MD, PhD, professor, Université Libre de Bruxelles, director, Medicine Department, Institut Jules Bordet, discusses the importance of de-escalating treatment in early-stage breast cancer.

Historically, drug treatment in breast cancer has been aggressive and many patients are being overtreated, says Piccart. Systemic treatment plays a fundamental role in breast cancer, but there is substantial amount of evidence that shows only a small population of women benefit from escalating therapy.

The surgical and radiation fields, Piccart adds, have heavily focused on de-escalating therapy in selected women over the past few years, resulting in less mastectomies and axillary dissections, and shorter periods of radiation with successful outcomes.

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