Progress Against Breast Cancer

Progress Against Breast Cancer 1970–1979

1970–1979 Progress Against Breast Cancer 1971: More limited mastectomy proven effective for early-stage breast cancer

1970–1979 Progress Against Breast Cancer 1974: Doxorubicin active against advanced breast cancer

1970–1979 Progress Against Breast Cancer 1975: Adjuvant chemotherapy increases cure rates for early-stage breast cancer

1970–1979 Progress Against Breast Cancer 1977: Estrogen receptor status proven to predict risk of breast cancer recurrence 1977: Many women can opt for breast-conserving surgery 1977: Breakthrough drug, tamoxifen, receives initial FDA approval Late 1970s: Growing use of mammography saves lives

Progress Against Breast Cancer 1980–1989

1980–1989 Progress Against Breast Cancer 1986: Tamoxifen reduces breast cancer recurrence

Progress Against Breast Cancer 1990–1999

1990–1999 Progress Against Breast Cancer Mid-1990s: BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations linked to increased breast cancer risk 1994, 2008: Taxanes emerge as vital chemotherapy option for breast cancer

1990–1999 Progress Against Breast Cancer Mid-1990s: Bone-building drugs help reduce complications of breast cancer and its treatment

1990–1999 Progress Against Breast Cancer 1996: Sentinel lymph node biopsy introduced to assess breast cancer spread

1990–1999 Progress Against Breast Cancer 1998: Oral chemotherapy drug, capecitabine, approved for advanced breast cancer 1998: Drug therapy can reduce breast cancer risk in women at high risk 1998: Chemotherapy before surgery helps more women benefit from breast-conserving treatment 1998: First targeted anti-breast cancer drug, trastuzumab (Herceptin), has major impact on care

Progress Against Breast Cancer 2000–Present

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2000: High-dose chemotherapy plus stem cell transplant does not improve breast cancer survival 2000: Breast cancer subtypes identified

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2002–2004: Novel genetic tests help guide breast cancer therapy

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2003: Higher density, shorter term chemotherapy improves breast cancer survival

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2004: New class of drugs, aromatase inhibitors, introduced 2004: Adding new drug, gemcitabine, extends survival for some women with advanced breast cancer 2004: Docetaxel helps reduce breast cancer recurrence

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2005: Low-fat diet and regular exercise may reduce risk of breast cancer recurrence 2005: Digital mammography more accurate than standard mammography in younger women

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2006: Screening, treatment key to declining U.S. breast cancer mortality 2006: Tamoxifen and raloxifene equally effective for preventing invasive breast cancer 2006: Many breast cancer survivors experience fatigue

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2007: Lapatinib approved for patients whose HER2-positive breast cancer no longer responds to trastuzumab 2007: MRI screening recommended for women at high risk of breast cancer 2007: Declining breast cancer incidence linked to lower use of hormone replacement therapy 2007: Shorter course of radiation therapy is as effective as less frequent radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2007: First in new class of drugs approved for advanced breast cancer that resists other treatments 2008–2010: Bevacizumab (Avastin) approved for advanced breast cancer

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2009: Preventive surgery confirmed to reduce breast and ovarian cancer risk in women with BRCA gene mutations 2009: Standard chemotherapy is an option for older women 2009: PARP inhibitors show promise for difficult-to-treat breast cancers

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2010: Targeted drug denosumumab helps prevent common bone-related complications in advanced breast cancer 2010: Removing fewer lymph nodes for some breast cancer patients does not impair survival 2010: New chemotherapy drug improves survival for advanced breast cancer 2011: Aromatase inhibitors cut breast cancer risk among women at high risk

2000–Present Progress Against Breast Cancer 2012: Two targeted drugs together are more potent than one for HER-2 positive breast cancer 2012-2013: “Armed-antibody” drug improves survival for women with resistant HER2 positive cancers

Five-Year Survival Progress Against Breast Cancer Source: National Cancer Institute

Mortality Progress Against Breast Cancer Source: National Cancer Institute

New Cases Progress Against Breast Cancer Source: National Cancer Institute

Visit CancerProgress.Net for an interactive timeline of progress against a range of common cancers CancerProgress.Net is a project of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, which represents nearly 30,000 physicians who treat people with cancer and research new cures