In the last years, incurable oncologic diseases have become increasingly viewed as chronic disease processes. In order to evaluate the treatment course of a chronic disease and to demonstrate whether the concept of a palliative oncologic situation as a chronic disease can be translated into practice, it is essential to give an overview of the entire course of the disease (i.e. from the first diagnosis of recurrence/metastases to death). There are only few reports regarding this approach in the international literature. We present Swiss long-term data (1990-2007) for breast and ovarian cancer and demonstrate drawbacks and opportunities of an exact retrospective data collection and analysis. When an incurable disease which requires periodic therapy cycles to control progressive course and symptoms is increasingly treated with a strategy that permits stabilization and uses regimens that have limited cumulative toxicity with particular consideration of quality of life, then the requirements of a chronic disease management have been fulfilled.
