Abstract

Cancer incidence and cancer-related deaths are dramaticallys rising worldwide. In women, current estimates show high incidence of breast cancer (BC). BC is considered the second most frequent cancer-related death causer in women worldwide, responsible for millions of deaths each year. However, BC early diagnosis improves treatment success and increase survival rates. Physical examination, mammography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging are techniques that auxiliary BC diagnosis. On the other hand, BC relapse is a significant concern especially when the cancer spreads to the mammary and adjacent tissues and this leads to the development of locally advanced BC (LABC). Inflammatory BC (IBC), which is considered a subtype of LABC, is a rare and aggressive disease that causes swelling, redness, affecting third or more of the breast. Normally, chemotherapy is used in the first-line treatment of LABC, however multidrug resistance (MDR) is a severe problem found in the treatment. Studies are been performed to discover new alternative therapies, mainly in natural products, to solve this obstacle improving treatment responsiveness. In this review we will address aspects of LABC such as pathophysiology, diagnosis, current treatments and new therapeutic perspectives as well as LABC epidemiological parameters, emphasizing the worldwide incidence scenario.

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