The role of complementary and alternative medicine in the management of early breast cancer: Recommendations of the European Society of
Mastology (EUSOMA).
Many expert panels (including ASCO, European Society of Medical Oncology, and European Society of
Mastology) therefore recommend that tumor markers should not be used in the routine surveillance of patients after primary treatment for breast cancer (9, 41-43).
Head (2), and Xianpeng Jiang (2), Delta State University (1), Cleveland, MS 38733, and The Elliott-Haley-Head
Mastology Research and Treatment Center (2), Baton Rouge, LA 70816
For example, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the European Society of Medical Oncology and the European Society of
Mastology (EUSOMA) recommend against the use of markers in the routine surveillance of patients following primary treatment for breast cancer [5,15-17].
Because of the striking difference in response of steroid receptor-positive and -negative breast cancers to hormone therapy, multiple expert panels, including an American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Expert Panel, the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry (United States), a National Institutes of Health panel, the European Group on Tumor Markers, and the European Society of
Mastology have recommended that ER (i.e., ERa) and PR be assayed on all primary breast cancers (22-26).
For the other age groups, a triennial CBE for women up to 39 years and annual CBE and biannual MMG for those older than 70 years, as suggested by the Brazilian Society of
Mastology (15,16).
The Brazilian Society of
Mastology (49) argues that omission of radiotherapy, although it does not interfere in the survival time of the patient, increases the risk of occurrence of local relapse, but that the benefit of this treatment may be less for elderly women, since they are a population with low risk of this type of relapse.