
What is the gold standard for breast cancer treatment? How do the breast cancer treatments approved by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guide physicians and their patients? What are the differences between urban and rural communities when it comes to breast cancer standard of care?
It's important to note that the below guidelines are intended to be used as a reference and should be tailored to each individual person's needs and risk factors. Healthcare providers should discuss screening and prevention options with their patients to make informed decisions together.
In this blog we are going to address some of these burning questions.
What are the NCCN Guidelines?
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines are evidence-based treatment recommendations for breast cancer that provide the most up-to-date information and best practices for the diagnosis and management of cancer, including breast cancer. The NCCN offers breast cancer guidelines in three forms:
breast cancer screening and risk assessment,
breast cancer treatment, and
breast cancer survivorship care.
Breast cancer screening and risk assessment
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) provides guidelines for breast cancer screenings and risk assessment. These guidelines are based on the latest research and are intended to assist healthcare providers in making decisions about the best approach to breast cancer screening and prevention. Here are some key points from the NCCN guidelines:
Breast cancer screening should begin at age 40 for women of average risk.
Women with a family history of breast cancer or other risk factors may need to begin screening earlier or have more frequent screening.
Mammography is the preferred method of breast cancer screening for women of average risk. However there are additional screening modalities such as Tomosynthesis, or 3D mammograms, Contrast-Enhanced Mammograms, Ultrasound, and MRI.
Breast MRI may be used in addition to mammography for women with a high risk of breast cancer.