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Do the current oncology treatments allow a better preservation of fertility? Advances in chemotherapy and radiotherapy? Volume 10, issue 4, juillet-août 2008

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Authors
Service d’oncologie médicale, Cancer Est, AP–HP Tenon, GHU Est, université Paris-VI, 4, rue de la Chine, 75970 Paris cedex 20, France, Service de cancérologie, institut de radiothérapie et oncologie, centre médical de Skopje, université de Skopje, 1000 Skopje, Macédoine, Service de cancérologie, centre clinique de Podgorica, université de médecine du Monténégro, Monténégro

Breast cancer is the most frequent female cancer in industrialized countries. Recent progresses allowed a considerable improvement in the cured patients rates. Adjuvant chemotherapy has increased at least by 15 % absolute benefit in overall survival with regard to only locoregional treatments. Tamoxifen and Trastuzumab targeting respectively the oestrogen receptors (2/3 of the breast cancers) and the HER2 receptor (1/5 of the breast cancers) still reduce by half the risk of recurrence. All these progresses allow today to write that breast cancer, in spite of its frequency, is probably one of the most curable cancers. However, this progress comes along with an increased risk of infertility, which becomes a major stake in these patients before menopause.