The NCCN
Breast Cancer
Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology
TM
Robert W. Carlson, MD; D. Craig Allred, MD;
Benjamin O. Anderson, MD; Harold J. Burstein, MD, PhD;
W. Bradford Carter, MD; Stephen B. Edge, MD;
John K. Erban, MD; William B. Farrar, MD;
Lori J. Goldstein, MD; William J. Gradishar, MD;
Daniel F. Hayes, MD; Clifford A. Hudis, MD;
Mohammad Jahanzeb, MD; Krystyna Kiel, MD;
Britt-Marie Ljung, MD; P. Kelly Marcom, MD;
Ingrid A. Mayer, MD; Beryl McCormick, MD;
Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines in
Oncology
Key Words
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines, breast cancer, chemotherapy,
breast-conserving therapy, adjuvant therapy, mastectomy, en-
docrine therapy, radiation, therapy, lobular carcinoma in situ,
ductal carcinoma in situ (JNCCN 2009;7:122–192)
NCCN Categories of Evidence and Consensus
Category 1: The recommendation is based on high-level ev-
idence (e.g., randomized controlled trials) and there is uni-
form NCCN consensus.
Category 2A: The recommendation is based on lower-level
evidence and there is uniform NCCN consensus.
Category 2B: The recommendation is based on lower-level
evidence and there is nonuniform NCCN consensus (but
no major disagreement).
Category 3: The recommendation is based on any level of
evidence but reflects major disagreement.
All recommendations are category 2A unless otherwise
noted.
The Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines presented here
are the work of the members of the NCCN Breast Cancer
Clinical Practice Guidelines Panel. Categories of evidence were
assessed and are noted on the algorithms and in the text.
Although not explicitly stated at every decision point of the
Guidelines, patient participation in prospective clinical trials is
the preferred option of treatment for all stages of breast can-
cer. The full breast cancer guidelines are not printed in this is-
sue of JNCCN, but can be accessed online at www.nccn.org.
Clinical trials: The NCCN believes that the best management
for any cancer patient is in a clinical trial. Participation in
clinical trials is especially encouraged.
Please Note
These guidelines are a statement of consensus of the au-
thors regarding their views of currently accepted approaches
to treatment. Any clinician seeking to apply or consult
these guidelines is expected to use independent medical
judgment in the context of individual clinical circumstances
to determine any patient’s care or treatment. The National
Comprehensive Cancer Network makes no representation
or warranties of any kind regarding their content, use, or ap-
plication and disclaims any responsibility for their appli-
cations or use in any way.
These guidelines are copyrighted by the National
Comprehensive Cancer Network. All rights reserved. These
guidelines and the illustrations herein may not be repro-
duced in any form without the express written permission
of the NCCN © 2009.
Disclosures for the NCCN Breast Cancer Guidelines
Panel
At the beginning of each NCCN guidelines panel meeting, panel
members disclosed any financial support they have received
from industry. Through 2008, this information was published in
an aggregate statement in JNCCN and online. Furthering
NCCN’s commitment to public transparency, this disclosure
process has now been expanded by listing all potential conflicts
of interest respective to each individual expert panel member.
Individual disclosures for the NCCN Breast Cancer Guidelines
Panel members can be found on page 192. (To view the most re-
cent version of these guidelines and accompanying disclosures,
visit the NCCN Web site at www.nccn.org.)
These guidelines are also available on the Internet. For the latest
update, please visit www.nccn.org.
122
Lisle M. Nabell, MD; Lori J. Pierce, MD; Elizabeth C. Reed, MD;
Mary Lou Smith, JD, MBA; George Somlo, MD;
Richard L. Theriault, DO, MBA; Neal S. Topham, MD;
John H. Ward, MD; Eric P. Winer, MD;
and Antonio C. Wolff, MD
Overview
The American Cancer Society estimated that 184,450
new cases of invasive breast cancer would be diag-
nosed and 40,930 patients would die of the disease in
the United States in 2008.
1
In addition, approximately
67,770 women will be diagnosed with carcinoma in situ
of the breast during the same year. Breast cancer is the
© Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Volume 7 Number 2 February 2009
. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2009 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
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