Breast Cancer: Patients' Survival
PEMD-89-9
Published: Feb 28, 1989. Publicly Released: Apr 03, 1989.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO assessed the extent to which the use of adjuvant chemotherapy changed the survival rates of premenopausal women with breast cancer which had spread to the lymph nodes.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should initiate a study to determine why there has been no detectable improvement in the survival of premenopausal, node-positive breast cancer patients since the advent of chemotherapy in 1975. In light of the potential methodological obstacles that such a study faces, the Secretary should seek expert advice on the feasibility of conducting the recommended research and the study design most likely to provide valid conclusions. |
Closed – Implemented
The Department of Health and Human Services has completed the study in line with this recommendation. See Breslow, Lester. "Special Report: Measurement of Progress Against Cancer", Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 82, 1990.
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Topics
Breast cancerCancer researchChemotherapyData collectionHealth care servicesHealth statisticsMedical information systemsPharmacological researchTherapyMortality