The diagnosis and management of breast cancer are undergoing a paradigm shift from a one-size-fits-all approach to an era of personalized medicine. Sophisticated diagnostics, including molecular imaging and genomic expression profiles, enable improved tumor characterization. These diagnostics, combined with newer surgical techniques and radiation therapies, result in a collaborative multidisciplinary approach to minimizing recurrence and reducing treatment-associated morbidity. This article reviews the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, including screening, staging, and multidisciplinary management. In this article, we address current approaches to breast cancer diagnosis and management. These approaches include screening recommendations; diagnostic imaging and pathologic assessment to determine the extent of disease; surgery and radiation treatment; and an array of systemic options, such as chemotherapy, endocrine therapy, and targeted agents (Fig. 1). We also consider the potential contribution of functional imaging to a new era of personalized, tumor-specific treatment.
BREAST CANCER DIAGNOSIS ScreeningBreast cancer is generally diagnosed through either screening or a symptom (e.g., pain or a palpable mass) that prompts a diagnostic exam. Screening of healthy women is associated with the detection of tumors that are smaller, have lower odds of metastasis, are more amenable to breast-conserving and limited axillary surgery, and are less likely to require chemotherapy (1). This scenario translates to reduced treatment-related morbidity and improved survival.The only screening modality proven to reduce breast cancerspecific mortality is mammography (2). Screening mammography leads to a 19% overall reduction in breast cancer mortality (3), with less benefit for women in their 40s (15%) and more benefit for women in their 60s (32%). As a result, screening mammography is recommended by the American Cancer Society beginning at age 45, or sooner depending on individual preference. The potential negative aspects of screening mammography are falsepositive examinations, radiation exposure, pain, anxiety, and other negative psychologic effects. Mammography has a 61% chance of a false-positive result over a 10-y period for women commencing screening between the ages of 40 y and 50 y. The risk of a falsepositive examination decreases with older age (3). The US Preventative Task Force cited a 15% breast cancer-related mortality reduction for women who were 39-49 y old and a mortality-related benefit from screening between ages 39 and 69. However, the task force released a controversial report recommending only biennial screening mammography for women who were 50-74 y old, excluding younger women to a large extent because of the high rate of false-positive results (4). Mammography for women in the 39-to 49-y-old age group was recommended if indicated after the use of a risk-based model of breast cancer screening, such as the models developed by the Population-Based Research Optimizing Screening Through Personalized Re...