Developments in Diagnosing and Treating Breast Cancer

by Terri Potratz | September 23, 2008 at 02:32 pm

360 views | 35 Recommendations | 10 comments

Two considerable breakthroughs in the fight against breast cancer - a new diagnostic tool can detect tumours that mammograms may miss, and intense radiation treatment can be just as effective for early onset tumours.

Breast cancer can be difficult to diagnose because of the nature of the tissue; mammograms produce x-rays that are quite complex, and ultrasound and MRI scans are likewise hard to decipher. Many tumours resemble normal breast tissue, and small tumours are hard to detect.

New technology, called molecular breast imaging, appears to detect some tumors that were previously unseen. With this technique, small breast cancers absorb a type of radioactive molecule that can then be detected by a special camera. Molecular breast imaging has been used successfully in some screening studies (that is, in well women without known symptoms or breast lumps) to detect unsuspected small tumors, which in some cases had been missed by mammography.
Unfortunately this technology also requires a small radiation dose, and that may present hazards, too. Doctors working with molecular breast imaging also have reported that the technique occasionally may miss a tumor that would have been picked up on routine mammography.

It would seem that while this new technology can be quite useful, it is not appropriate as a replacement for other screening methods but rather as an additional tool for doctors to use.

The other development for breast cancer patients is an effective new radiation method for those with early-stage tumours that cuts radiation treatment from 5-7 weeks down to just a few weeks.

Recent studies from Canada and Japan have suggested that instead of the usual five to seven weeks of treatment, patients may survive just as long if they are treated with larger individual doses of radiotherapy each day for just a few weeks. This finding applies only to patients with small tumors that have not spread to the lymph nodes.

Shorter duration of radiotherapy seems like a good idea, as it would reduce the time away from work or from family duties. What’s the downside?

Larger individual doses of radiation can sometimes cause more side effects, such as inflammation of breast tissue, hardening of the skin over the breast and local discomfort during the radiation. Unfortunately, some of these complications may occur well after treatment is complete. It may be premature to call this strategy a complete success, although it is worth noting that patients were followed for 12 years in the recently published Canadian study.

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altrugon

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 14:59 on September 23rd, 2008

Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's good stuff.

mchawk

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 15:22 on September 23rd, 2008

Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's good stuff.

SmilingStrong

at 22:27 on October 1st, 2008

My grandmother had breast cancer, it didn't kill her she lived to be 83. She was diagnosed at 40 and they took a third of her lung and entire breast. I became very diligent about my monthly self-breast exams. I knew my breasts well because of the monthly and bi-montly self-checks. I found my lump on my own. I was stage II with a very aggressive protein type cancer that had moved outside the ductal gland and was just looking to jump on the lymph or blood stream pathways and to either my liver, lungs or brain. This testing could have possibly saved both of my breasts.
SmilingStrong has contributed a photo to this story.

Uwe Paschen

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 17:25 on September 23rd, 2008

Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's good stuff.

SmilingStrong

at 20:38 on October 1st, 2008

Thank you. I am interested in why you like it?

lunaselena

at 17:26 on September 23rd, 2008

I took a photo of my supplements and prescription medications when I stopped taking oral chemotherapy. It was a difficult thing every day to deliberately put such a toxic substance in my mouth and swallow it down. The relief I felt when I was done was exhilarating. Although I still get weekly IV chemotherapy, I am relieved to not need the oral chemo any longer.

lunaselena has contributed a photo to this story.

SmilingStrong

at 22:19 on October 1st, 2008

Hi lunaselena,

It was amazing how much I learned about supplements and my chemo. NO ANTIOXIDANTS! No vitamin C no vitamin E. I couldn't help my health-conscious life-style and how diligent I had been in taking these vitamins for so long. So...let me get this straight...taking vitamins that boost my immune system, foods...are not good for me while I am going through chemotherapy. They are toxic as they feed the cancer? YES!

I was told by my doctors and nurses and I read the research that those immune-booster vitamins could feed my cancer first and if anything was left over I might get some nutritional value. Holy Banana's I could have possibly been feeding this cancer for how long...maybe a year or two?

The Hope Center in Asheville, NC has a very holistic---AND SCIENTIFIC--and medically advanced in their method of defeating cancer specific to each patient. Each care team meets to review the charts and "is on the same page" with all of their knowledge of patient and research. One head is not better than 6 that are open minded---but those 6 need to know what the heck they are doing and at "The Hope Center" they know what they are doing.

My Dr. came directly from a major oncology conference. Evidence-based medicine was presented (I read about these NEW protocols with 10's of thousands of patients from the THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. Dr. came back on Sunday, saw me on Wednesday and all of the -"evidence-based" new protocols were initiated immediately. My oncologist told me, "If you were my own daughter this is exactly the protocol I would recommend and initiate with her". He has 3 daughters.

I looked at my sister and we were blown away. We never expected chemotherapy from previous consults. The Doctor looked down at his papers as I asked, "Will I lose my hair?". He knew that question was coming. I asked a couple of questions around it and finally the direct approach was the only way to get the answer.

The Dr. looked down at my chart as he answered me directly, just as he would have one of his daughters. The Dr. said, "Yes, Debbie you will lose your hair. Usually about 16-17 days after chemotherapy you will lose it. We don't have the week-end to wait. We need to take action now".

I am sure my sister and I were looking at each other thinking we had some time to really make a decision. I had first opinions and surgery was first on the list. Others at a major teaching institution had said radiation would be next--probably.

I was not prepared for chemotherapy. Monday we will come back with some sort of answer or option. There was NO DECISION! THE DECISION was already made. If we are going to save your life, we are making you appointments now to save your life. Next week you have...etc...etc...

Nutrition is essential! Chemotherapy darn it---I couldn't eat. When I had no nausea and thought I could eat--I ate everything I thought I was missing. I ate: Gravy and Biscuits, sausage, Fuddrucker's cheeseburgers and onion rings, Del Taco, ICE CREAM--Ben & Jerry's...Cherry Garcia, Mint, Chunky Monkey.

I ate everything because, I didn't know when I would be able to eat again. I ate because I didn't know if it mattered. Maybe I would die? I ate because I was living more in the moment and I just really enjoyed those ice cream cones and the napkins that became soaked if you didn't eat your ice cream fast enough.

I had so much nausea. The thought occurred to me more than once that maybe I wouldn't live long enough to taste this again. Maybe I wouldn't watch my neice and my sister get those sticky fingers where the napkin sticks to your fingers like velcro.

My Iron (mineral--and folic acid) interests lowered (i.e. steaks). I hate beets and my nutrition has never as good as it should or could be. I did the best I could. My family worked and supported me so much. My memory was so bad I couldn't remember what I had eaten today, yesterday. Today it is the same. Due to the chemotherapy, I have lost some parts of time. I will get it back.

"God Bless You", if you are reading this as a cancer person--learning how to move forward and leave that cancer behind. My prayers and thoughts are with you! Live the life you were meant to live...cancer just really turned the volume up to remind you.

Smiling Strong

Jarrett Martineau

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 18:04 on September 23rd, 2008

Terri Potratz, I like this story. It's good stuff.

grace_m

at 18:08 on September 23rd, 2008

I took this photo last year for the Passionately Pink for the Cure, a group formed for the cure of breast cancer, on Flickr.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Yahoo! donated $1 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, for each pink photo added to this Group from October 1-31, 2007 up to $50,000! This donation will be used to fund breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs.

Yahoo donated $50.000 to Susan G.Komen for the Cure. Passionately Pink for the Cure is a grassroots fundraising and awareness program of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the global leader in the breast cancer movement.

grace_m has contributed a photo to this story.