Preface to Special Edition on Breast Cancer

Abstract

This special edition on breast cancer is the second issue in the Journal of Clinical Oncology Special Review Series. When we commenced planning the special edition, there were no previous examples to follow and we were fortunate that our editor-in-chief, Dr Daniel Haller, gave us free reign. Our aim was to provide state-of-the-art articles on topics important to the clinical management of breast cancer, rather than standard Review Articles of broader subjects. We were guided by a number of principles, including that the articles should be evidence-based, of the highest quality, and understandable by the practicing clinician. We also wanted to ensure that recent developments at the molecular-clinical interface were covered, and that authors were also provided an opportunity to speculate on future opportunities. At the beginning, we had a general idea of the material that needed to be covered, which lead to a draft of the table of contents. We then identified a ‘‘chair’’ for many of the ‘‘chapters.’’ The chairs helped us to identify specific topics within each chapter and to choose content experts as authors for these articles. The chairs also provided feedback on the evolving manuscripts and finally wrote commentaries on the articles. These commentaries provide aperspectiveonthecurrentstateofourknowledge,includingbothstrengthsandlimitations,anddescribeopportunities for the future. The resulting edition is a marvelous compendium of 20 articles and eight commentaries that cover a range of topics, including the molecular biology of the estrogen receptor, genetics of breast cancer, prevention, prognostic and predictive markers, developments in imaging modalities, and surgical, radiation, and drug therapies for breast cancer. It has been a wonderful opportunity to co-edit this special edition. We are greatly appreciative of the work of the chairs and authors. Finally, we must acknowledge the thousands of women with breast cancer who have participated in the studies that have provided the information that has advanced the field so greatly in recent years.