Breast cancer is the most common cancer for women in England and Wales, with about 37,000 new cases diagnosed and 11,000 deaths recorded in England and Wales each year. In men breast cancer is rare, with about 270 cases diagnosed, and 70 deaths in England and Wales each year. Of these new cases in women and men, around 10% are diagnosed in the advanced stages, when the tumour has spread significantly within the breast or to other organs of the body. In addition, there is a significant number of women who have been previously treated with curative intent who subsequently develop either a local recurrence or metastases. Over recent years there have been important developments in the investigation and management of these patients including new chemotherapy, and biological and hormonal agents. There is some evidence of practice variation across the country and of patchy availability of certain treatments and procedures. A clinical guideline will help to address these issues and offer guidance on best practice.
Copyright © 2009, National Collaborating Centre for Cancer.