Perhaps the most clinically important update to the NCCN Guideline is the removal of the recommendation for a full axillary lymph node dissection as an option for women with clinically negative lymph nodes. The updated NCCN Guidelines now recommend that women with stage one or two invasive breast cancer with clinically negative lymph nodes, undergo sentinel node mapping and excision provided they are being treated by a team of clinicians with experience in sentinel node biopsy.

Sentinel node biopsy is a diagnostic procedure used to determine whether breast cancer has metastasized to axillary lymph nodes (e.g., lymph nodes under the arm). Sentinel node biopsy requires the removal of only a few lymph nodes compared to a full axillary lymph node dissection, and may decrease the risk of lymphedema and pain associated with surgery.

Another important update to the NCCN Guidelines is the addition of a new regimen for adjuvant chemotherapy for invasive breast cancer. The NCCN Guidelines now include FEC [fluorouracil (Adrucil(R), Pfizer Inc.) / epirubicin (Ellence(R), Pfizer Inc.) / cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan(R), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company)] followed by weekly paclitaxel (Taxol(R), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company) as an option for adjuvant therapy, treatment given after surgery.

Although the incidence of breast cancer has increased steadily in the United States over the past few decades, breast cancer mortality appears to be declining suggesting a benefit from early detection and more effective treatment.

SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network