Breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment

The incidence of breast cancer in US women remains disturbingly high, and unfortunately primary care physicians still frequently encounter patients in whom the disease is suspected or, even worse, confirmed. Fortunately, however, the body of knowledge surrounding the disease has grown dramatically during the past decade, and major advances have been made in the understanding of breast cancer risk, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Controversies persist, particularly those concerning the screening of younger women; but consensus now exists regarding many clinical issues relevant to primary care practice. Although multidisciplinary subspecialty expertise must be made available to all women with known or suspected breast cancer, the primary care physician has an important role to play when dealing with patients with this condition. The following article focuses on what primary care practitioners need to know to expertly contribute to the diagnosis, counseling, and initial treatment of women with this disease.