Prof. Dr. Alexandru Trestioreanu Oncological Institute – Bucharest (IOB), with the support of Roche Romania, organized today the conference with the theme “The role of the multidisciplinary team in the diagnosis and optimal treatment of breast cancer”. During the conference, doctors from the Bucharest Oncological Institute discussed the role of the specialties that make up the multidisciplinary team in ensuring the optimal diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, according to international guidelines in the field.
Breast cancer remains the most common form of cancer in women in Romania, with over 12,000 new cases every year. If it is discovered in the early stages, before it spreads in the body, breast cancer can be treated successfully in over 95% of cases. The chances of healing depend on the stage of the disease, its aggressiveness and the application of the personalized treatment protocol depending on the type of cancer. According to the international guidelines for the treatment of breast cancer, decisions regarding treatment options are made after consultations between doctors of different specialties, as well as other health professionals, who together constitute the multidisciplinary team.
People who will later be diagnosed with breast cancer often initially go to the family doctor, either for routine medical evaluations, or because they have symptoms such as pain, the presence of a lump detected by self-palpation or a breast secretion. Later, once a lesion is detected, it must be investigated by the imaging doctor, who will also recommend a biopsy of the tumor by the anatomopathologist, if this is suspicious.
Following these investigations, the diagnosis and treatment plan is established by correlating the analyses, imaging investigations and biopsy within the multidisciplinary team of specialists, which also includes the oncologist, the surgeon, the radiotherapist, as well as doctors from other specialties.
“Within the multidisciplinary team that treats breast cancer, the medical oncologist plays an important role. Depending on the type of breast cancer, the stage of the disease, but also on the characteristics of the patient, the oncologist together with the members of the multidisciplinary team will establish the type of systemic treatment. Within the institute, we have available approximately the entire therapeutic arsenal existing in the international protocols for the optimal treatment of breast cancer. Currently, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy can be used in the treatment of breast cancer. Surgery and radiotherapy can complement the systemic therapy at the time determined by the multidisciplinary team. The sequentiality of different types of treatment is essential”, said Dr. Daniela Zob, primary oncology doctor, Bucharest Oncological Institute.
“Within the breast cancer treatment protocol, surgery still has an important role. But the moment when breast cancer is operated on is decided by the multidisciplinary team, depending on each individual case. This is because in many cases, the surgical intervention is done after the application of the neoadjuvant treatment, which aims to shrink the tumor but also improve the long-term evolution of the patient. According to recent studies, conservative treatment, which involves removing the tumor with preservation of the breast followed by radiotherapy, is more effective than a mastectomy. In order to avoid the extirpation of the entire breast, it is necessary to detect the tumor in the least advanced stages, but in order to achieve this goal, an efficient and functional national screening program for breast cancer is necessary”, declared Prof. Univ. dr. Alexandru Blidaru, primary doctor of surgery and medical oncology, Bucharest Oncological Institute.
Within the multidisciplinary team of specialists, depending on the case, the psychologist, the nutritionist, the support groups for patients, but also a navigator who can guide the patients and offer them consultancy throughout the therapeutic and recovery process can have an important role.
More information about the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer can be found on www.canceruldesan.ro.
Glossary of terms
Mammography
Radiological examination of the breasts that allows the detection of suspicious lesions of small sizes, undetectable by palpation. It is essential for women over 40-45 years old.
Biopsy
The procedure that involves the sampling of some tissue fragments for microscopic examination. Biopsy is the only diagnostic procedure with certainty of a suspected lesion. At the same time, in the case of a neoplasia, the biopsy can determine the type of breast cancer, its aggressiveness and can estimate the response to different types of treatment.
Neoadjuvant therapy
Treatment administered to certain patients with breast cancer, either in locally advanced stages, or even in early stages, in the case of aggressive forms of the disease. Neoadjuvant therapy and surgical intervention are followed by adjuvant therapy and, as the case may be, radiotherapy to eliminate residual cancer cells and to prevent recurrence of the disease.
Adjuvant therapy
Treatment administered to patients with breast cancer after surgery with the aim of eliminating residual cancer cells, reducing the risk of local recurrence and metastasis.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a class of oncological treatments that destroy cancer cells. It can be administered independently or in combination with other treatments.
Hormonal therapy
This treatment consists in the administration of drugs that interfere with the activity of estrogens, hormones that are involved in the appearance and development of two thirds of breast cancer cases.
Targeted therapy
These drugs act against cancer by inhibiting specific proteins associated with mutations responsible for the development of certain types of cancer.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy in oncology is the treatment that determines the stimulation of the immune system to fight against this disease.
Mastectomy
Surgical intervention to remove the breast completely.
Radiotherapy
It is a procedure that is an integral part of breast cancer treatment, which uses doses of radiation to destroy residual microscopic disease. It is most frequently used after breast-conserving surgery, but sometimes radiotherapy is necessary even in cases of mastectomy. Radiotherapy can also be performed on patients who have undergone mastectomy with breast reconstruction.
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2023-11-09 14:53:29
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