Cancer survivors speak out on treatment options.

2004 JAN 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A large percentage of women with breast cancer would choose to undergo chemotherapy, even if it only reduced the risk of breast cancer mortality by 1%, states a survey presented at the 26th annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

Compiled polling of nearly 1200 breast cancer survivors and their loved ones was part of an initiative to educate physicians on the wide variety of belief systems of breast cancer patients. The project also attempts to clarify how women perceive the risks and benefits of different cancer therapies, so that doctors can better identify treatment options for their patients.

One striking result from the abstract was that 56% of women would undergo 4 to 6 months of chemotherapy for a 1% reduction in the risk of dying of breast cancer. Another major finding related to choice of hormonal therapy in women with tumors containing estrogen-receptors. In postmenopausal scenarios, many survivors preferred treatment with the aromatase inhibitor Arimidex (anastrozole) in lieu of the more traditional approach with tamoxifen. In pre-menopausal, high-risk situations, attendees chose a combination of tamoxifen and ovarian suppression. Both hormonal interventions have demonstrated promising results in recent clinical trials.

"We wanted to evaluate the complicated alternatives available to women during initial diagnosis, and how physicians can effectively present and discuss the options," said Neil Love, MD, medical oncologist and president of the continuing medical education group, Research to Practice. "By analyzing how an individual woman perceives the risks and benefits of common therapeutic interventions - such as chemotherapy and hormonal therapy - physicians will be better able to guide patients through the difficult ...