ASO Author Reflections: Clinical Implication of Nomograms in the Breast Oncology Field

Excerpt

The frequency of ipsilateral breast tumor reappearance (IBTR) has been documented in approximately 7% of patients with primary breast cancer (BC) and operated with curative intent. Risk factors for IBTR are metastatic axillary lymph nodes, high tumor grade (G2–G3), and luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and triple-negative subtypes.1 The risk of developing IBTR represents a negative emotion for BC patients, i.e. fear and anxiety, in addition to the poor prognosis and higher mortality.2 In fact, several predictive models are available to predict cancer recurrence in response to chemotherapy,3 or after ductal carcinoma in situ treatment.4 These models, so-called nomograms, are useful for decision making in oncology clinical practice; however, the available nomograms are not applicable for all BC patients, in particular after breast surgery. With the proposed study, we identified two novel nomograms predictive for IBTR after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and mastectomy. …