Behind The Knife: The Surgery Podcast

De novo metastatic breast cancer represents 6% of all new breast cancer diagnoses. This figure has not changed at all over the past 20 years; however, systemic therapy options have evolved dramatically during this time and have significantly increased life expectancy for these patients. While surgical management of the primary tumor in the setting of metastatic disease has typically been reserved for palliative indications, surgeons are now being asked to consider resecting the primary tumor to potentially increase overall survival. In this episode, we will use a case study to examine the data that should inform our conversations and decisions when we encounter patients with metastatic breast cancer who are interested in having their primary tumor resected. Links: §  Khan, S.A., S. Schuetz, and O. Hosseini (2022). Primary-Site Local Therapy for Patients with De Novo Metastatic Breast Cancer: An Educational Review. Ann Surg Oncol; 29: 5811-5820. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1245/s10434-022-11900-x §