A 53-year-old woman notices a lump in her left breast. She reports no symptoms of breast discharge
or previous breast disease. She is postmenopausal, menarche was at age 13, and her family history is negative for breast cancer. Examination reveals a 2-cm palpable lump, which is mobile and nontender, and there are no axillary lymph nodes. Biopsy of the lump is positive for breast cancer, and she undergoes a
lumpectomy and lymph node dissection. Which of the following factors is important in deciding about adjuvant therapy for breast cancer?
(A) menopausal status
(B) tumor size
© endocrine receptor status
(D) lymph node status
(E) all of the above
solution
(E) The size of the tumor is a prognostic factor, as is knowing menopausal status, endocrine receptor
status, and lymph node involvement. These four factors are used to decide who will benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or tamoxifen treatment