Predicting Late Recurrence of Breast Cancer

Late recurrence in breast cancer is more frequently a manifestation of endocrine–sensitive breast cancer compared with other breast cancers and may reflect tumor-cell dormancy. Equally important is the recent clinical finding that longer durations of endocrine therapy, particularly tamoxifen, may be appropriate for patients with hormone-sensitive, early-stage disease. All systemic therapy, including endocrine therapy, is associated with the potential for some adverse effects as well as a recognition that compliance declines with longer durations of therapy. Therefore, an ability to identify patients at risk for late recurrences would be valuable.

Now, investigators report on the use of the PAM50 risk of recurrence (ROR) score and the Clinica…