Published in:
01-06-2018 | Rebuttal Letter
Reply to Hollingsworth: does breast cancer metastasize in the clinical window between the mammogram and the mass?
Published in: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment | Issue 3/2018
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In our recent review, we proposed the parallel theory of breast cancer which, succinctly put, states that if a breast cancer is going to metastasize it will have done so before it is clinically apparent [1]. When I read Alan Hollingsworth’s excellent book Mammography and Early Breast Cancer Detection: How Screening Saves Lives [2] I realized that our hypothesis was a revisiting of early Fisher theory. Hollingsworth summarizes Fisher theory on page 17 of his book [2]:Fisher theory. Breast Cancer is either local or systemic at the time of discovery and progression from Biologic A to Biologic B does not occur during the clinical window. Thus, variation in the manner of local control are unlikely to have substantial impact on survival. Note: Unlike Halsted theory, there are no arrows in this schematic.
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