Imaging Considerations and Interprofessional Opportunities in the Care of Breast Cancer Patients in the Neoadjuvant Setting.

OBJECTIVE: To discuss standard-of-care and emerging imaging techniques employed for screening and detection, diagnosis and staging, monitoring response to therapy, and guiding cancer treatments.

DATA SOURCES: Published journal articles indexed in the National Library of Medicine database and relevant websites.

CONCLUSION: Imaging plays a fundamental role in the care of cancer patients and specifically, breast cancer patients in the neoadjuvant setting, providing an excellent opportunity for interprofessional collaboration between oncologists, researchers, radiologists, and oncology nurses. Quantitative imaging strategies to assess cellular, molecular, and vascular characteristics within the tumor is needed to better evaluate initial diagnosis and treatment response.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Nurses caring for patients in all settings must continue to seek education on emerging imaging techniques. Oncology nurses provide education about the test, ensure the patient has appropriate pre-testing instructions, and manage patient expectations about timing of results availability.