NCCN Announces Two New Breast Cancer Resources.

JENKINTOWN, Pa. -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is proud to offer two new tools in the fight against breast cancer: the latest version of the NCCN Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Breast Cancer chapter of the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium(TM). These resources highlight cutting-edge developments in the treatment of breast cancer and represent the recognized standard for clinical policy in oncology in both community and academic practice settings.

In a major change from previous versions, NCCN recently modified its Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines for selection of adjuvant chemotherapy to look first at HER-2 and hormone receptor status and second at nodal status and tumor size. This reflects the evolving emphasis on responsiveness to therapy, new data on the efficacy of trastuzumab (Herceptin) in the adjuvant setting and the increasing importance of hormonal therapies. NCCN also expanded the adjuvant therapy regimens to include the addition of trastuzumab for patients with HER-2 positive breast cancer. For metastatic disease, new regimens including paclitaxel (Taxol) plus bevacizumab (Avastin) and albumin-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane) were added to the existing list of appropriate treatment options. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM) are developed and updated through a consensus-driven process with explicit review of the scientific evidence by multidisciplinary panels of expert physicians from NCCN institutions.

The eagerly-awaited Breast Cancer chapter of the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium contains authoritative, scientifically derived information designed to support decision making about the appropriate use of drug and biologic therapy for patients with breast cancer, including FDA-approved indications as well as those beyond FDA labeling. All recommendations are derived from the NCCN Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines. Like the Guidelines, the Compendium spans the continuum of cancer care from early stage to advanced stage disease, and from supportive to palliative care.

Both the new Breast Cancer Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Breast Cancer Compendium chapter are available, free of charge, in electronic formats on www.nccn.org.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a nonprofit alliance of 19 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN member institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders throughout the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN emphasizes the importance of and promotes continuous quality improvement, creating and publishing clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. NCCN programs include: Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology(TM), the NCCN Drugs & Biologics Compendium(TM), Treatment Guidelines for Patients, the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (JNCCN), Cancer Resource Lines for Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma, educational conferences and symposia for clinicians, the Oncology Outcomes Database Project, the NCCN Oncology Research Program, NCCN Cancer Case Manager(TM), and collaborations with managed care organizations.

The NCCN member institutions are:

--City of Hope Cancer Center

--Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare

--Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center

--Fox Chase Cancer Center

--Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah 

--Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center / Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

--Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University 

--The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins

--Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University

--Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

--H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute at the University of South Florida 

--Roswell Park Cancer Institute

--St. Jude Children's Research Hospital / University of Tennessee Cancer Institute

--Stanford Hospital & Clinics

--University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center

--UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center

--University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center

--UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center

--The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center