The Good News About Breast Cancer Treatment

Have you ever wondered if there is any good news about breast cancer treatment? Through modern medical breakthroughs, this disease is growing more curable every day.

EARLIER DISCOVERY With state-of-the-art equipment and techniques, malicious cell structures are being discovered much earlier than ever before. This means they're smaller when found, and they haven't had a chance to metastasize or to spread destructively. They're getting less and less of a chance to affect lymph nodes, organs, and other parts of the body.

INCREASED EMPHASIS Trends today are on the increase for more and more screenings and regular yearly mammograms. This fact has greatly increased the effectiveness of breast cancer treatment as well as the survival rate.

The most crucial things a woman can do are to get an annual mammogram, a complete examination by a trained health professional, and perform monthly self-exams. The earlier a diagnosis can be made, the better chance there is for a cure.

DRUGS Scientific medication research has improved tremendously. Those who are at increased risk clearly have many more effective options. There are even several drugs that can "stave off" the disease in those who are at higher risk.

CURRENT CHANGES Breast cancer treatment has altered considerably over the last decade. No longer is a complete mastectomy considered to be the only way to control the disease. Thankfully, today's emphasis is on preservation and a simple technique called a lumpectomy may be all that's needed followed by a degree of radiation. State-of-the-art machines and radiation devices have improved so much over the years many organs and other parts of the body can be spared from damage while targeting only one part.

CHEMOTHERAPY Throughout the last years, chemotherapy has been much improved. There are better drugs and the combination usage of these drugs is more effective.

Specialists are able today to personalize breast cancer treatment on an individual basis by looking closely at certain genes in each person. The scrutiny of these genes will help the specialist to determine if the person would be best helped by the use of hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or no therapy. This is quite an advancement from years ago when every patient was treated alike.

THE FUTURE The future looks bright as increased advances are discovered. New technology will most likely be able to detect cells "as small as 1 to 2 mm" versus traditional technology, which can only detect in the 5 to 10 mm range.

There are new and improved genetic tests in the medical field. They'll be able to inform people who have a high risk of this disease in their genes whether they'll be at risk themselves.

The good news is that breast cancer treatment is better understood today than it has ever been before. With rapid discoveries through scientific research, more targeted therapy can be incorporated every day. The future is bright as advances are made to diagnose and treat.