NCCN VERSION 2 2015

NCCN Guidelines Version 2.2015 Breast Cancer

NCCN Guidelines Index Breast Cancer Table of Contents Discussion

Testing for immunohistochemical markers including ER/PR and HER2 is recommended. Elevated ER/PR levels provide strong evidence for a breast cancer diagnosis. 601 MRI of the breast should be considered for a patient with histopathologic evidence of breast cancer when mammography and ultrasound are not adequate to assess the extent of the disease. MRI may be especially helpful in women with dense breast tissue, positive axillary nodes, and suspected occult primary breast tumor or to evaluate the chest wall . 602 Breast MRI has been shown to be useful in identifying the primary site in patients with occult primary breast cancer and may also facilitate breast conservation in selected women by allowing for lumpectomy instead of mastectomy. 598,603 In one report, the primary site was identified using MRI in about half of the women presenting with axillary metastases, irrespective of the breast density. 604 The NCCN Guidelines for Occult Primary Cancer also provide recommendations for additional workup, including chest and abdominal CT to evaluate for evidence of distant metastases for patients diagnosed with adenocarcinoma (or carcinoma not otherwise specified) of the axillary nodes without evidence of a primary breast lesion. In particular, breast MRI and ultrasound are recommended. Axillary ultrasound should also be performed. Treatment for Possible Primary Breast Cancer Patients with MRI-positive breast disease should undergo evaluation with ultrasound or MRI-guided biopsy and receive treatment according to the clinical stage of the breast cancer. Treatment recommendations for those with MRI-negative disease are based on nodal status. For patients with T0, N1, M0 disease, options include mastectomy plus axillary nodal dissection or axillary nodal dissection plus whole breast irradiation with or without nodal irradiation. Systemic chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, or trastuzumab is given according to the

recommendations for stage II or III disease. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, trastuzumab, and endocrine therapy should be considered for patients with T0, N2-N3, M0 disease followed by axillary nodal dissection and mastectomy as for patients with locally advanced disease. Summary The therapeutic options for patients with noninvasive or invasive breast cancer are complex and varied. In many situations, the patient and physician have the responsibility to jointly explore and select the most appropriate option from among the available alternatives. With few exceptions, the evaluation, treatment, and follow-up recommendations in these guidelines are based on the results of past and present clinical trials. However, there is not a single clinical situation in which the treatment of breast cancer has been optimized with respect to either maximizing cure or minimizing toxicity and disfigurement. Therefore, patient/physician participation in prospective clinical trials allows patients to not only receive state-of-the-art cancer treatment but also to contribute to improving the treatment outcomes.

Version 2.2015, 03/11/15 © National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. 2015, All rights reserved. The NCCN Guidelines® and this illustration may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of NCCN®. MS-66