Breast Cancer: Current Research
Open Access

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of most common cancer among Korean women, and still shows annual 6.1% increase and it is the second most common female cancer since 2006. Common causes of breast cancer includes first birth at late age, early menarche and late menopause, hormone replacement therapy, high fat and high calorie diet (BMI↑), alcohol abuse, low physical activity and genetic factors 21,484 in Korea, 2014. The survival rate of breast cancer patient in Korea was much improved with early detection and new treatment modalities which includes chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, target therapy and multimodality therapy including precision medicine. The 5-year and 10-year survival was 91.2% and 84.8% respectively. So breast specialists started to consider about patients’ quality of life and developed new surgical technic (oncoplastic surgery) without change of recurrence and survival. Breast conserving surgery (BCS) has showed gradually increasing tendency in Korea, currently about 70%, which may be preferable to mastectomy in terms of psychologically and cosmetically, recently in Korea we have much considered for oncoplastic surgery. The principles of oncoplastic surgery of the breast are based on complete removal of breast cancer with minimal scarring and producing optimal breast shape and size. It includes careful preoperative planning as part of a multidisciplinary approach and a surgical plan that will result in optimal cancer management and the best possible aesthetic outcome. Incidence of breast cancer increases according to improvement of economic status and women’s environmental factors in Korea. So breast specialists should consider not only recurrence and survival rate but also QOL with BCS or oncoplastic surgery.

Biography

Nam-Sun Paik had completed his graduation from School of Medicine, Seoul National University in 1973 and is currently the Director of Ewha Womens University Cancer Center for Women, Seoul Korea from 2011. He served as President of Konkuk University Medical Center from 2009 to 2011, President of Asian Breast Cancer Society (2006-2008) and was selected as one of the top 100 Health Professionals as of Breast and Stomach Surgical Oncologist, International Biographical Center of Cambridge, England in 2006. He also served as President of Korean Breast Cancer Society (2001-2003), President of the 3rd Asian Breast Cancer Society Congress 2000-2001 and was selected as one of the top 100 Health Professional as of Breast and Stomach Surgical Oncologist. Cambridge, England in 2006 and as a Man of the Year, International Biographical Center of Cambridge, England in 2001.