U.S. Hospital Report
breast cancer
W
e're doing more with less, because
breast cancer care is now much
more targeted and individualized,"
says Dr. Beth-Ann Lesnikoski, a breast surgeon
at Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center in
Jacksonville, Fla. "Once, every woman with a
tumor over a certain size had chemotherapy—
but we've moved beyond one-size-fits-all."
Breast cancer specialists, for example, can now
check the genomes of breast cancer tumors to see
how likely they are to grow, spread or return after
initial treatment. That knowledge helps doctors counsel
women so they can make well-informed decisions about
their care, such as deciding to forgo chemotherapy because
a tumor is unlikely to recur, says Dr. Lesnikoski.
Developments also include expanding options for screening
and early detection, precision surgical and radiation oncology
techniques, and a growing number of targeted medical therapies,
says Dr. Esther L. Mondo, a medical oncologist at North
Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colo.
Let's take a look at the newest medical advances that are
giving breast cancer patients a better chance for long-term,
cancer-free survival and improved quality of life.
By Emily Delzell
Dramatic advances
in breast cancer care that
customize the treatment
to the tumor have boosted
survival rates for women
in all stages of the
disease during the
past decade.
gets personal
Better
treatment
"
12