Breast cancer

Breast cancer is number one malignant tumor occurring in female. It takes 23%-26%, according to data of different scientists, in the structure of all neoplastic diseases. Morbidity rate for breast cancer in Ukraine had increased dramatically (more than doubled) by the end of 90-s (comparing to the beginning of 80-s) and makes up 57, 4 cases per 100 000 of female population.

Besides, breast cancer, which traditionally was considered as a malignant tumor of 50+ y.o. women, today became much "younger”, it occurs in 40, 30, and even 20 y.o. patients fairly frequently. Concerning clinical course, breast cancer is usually divided into "50+" and "50-"groups. Special clinical group is composed by young women (up to 35y.o.), whose tumors, as a rule, are notable for very aggressive clinical behavior.

Large quantity of new medications for breast cancer are being developed and introduced recently, which pharmacological actions are based on affecting tumor biological activity.

Standards of breast cancer treatment are usually made up with an allowance for the stage of neoplastic process (as consistent with lymph node involvement, presence or absence of visceral metastasis), patient’s age, histological subtype (structure) of tumor, it’s "receptor status”. These standards appear as a result of an accurate analysis of multiple international scientific researches, and are revised constantly. Individualization of breast cancer treatment based on "markers of tumor biological activity” study in every particular case has become a standard nowadays. The study of biomarkers allows to define each tumor biological peculiarities (i.e. chemo-sensitivity etc), which strictly correspond to tumor clinical course and play an important part in choosing an adequate scheme of treatment.