Breast Cancer Affects Us All by Dr. David Stallworth MCH Surgeon We are all affected by breast cancer, even if we are never diagnosed with it. Everyone has a mother, wife, sister or friend who has had it – or worse has died from it. The statistics are staggering. One woman in seven will develop this disease by age eight- one and one woman in seventy-seven by age fifty. Men are also at risk and when diagnosed, they are more likely to die from it. It occurs in African Americans slightly more often than in Caucasians. While it is not yet preventable – it is treatable and the key to successful treatment is early detection. For some reason known but to them, many people are afraid of getting the proper, life-saving screening they need. For some people, it is the discomfort of the mammogram but it hurts a lot less than a major operation. For others, it is the fear of bad news but that is easier than living with the regret of knowing you waited too late to get a cure. For others still, it is the feeling that they will be less of a woman after treatment—but with early treatment, there need be no disfigurement. The American Cancer Society recommends every other year mammograms between the ages of forty and fifty and every year thereafter. In special cases, like when a woman has a mother, sister or child with breast cancer, the screening should be a bit more intense or start earlier – ten years before the earliest age of diagnosis. Other tests, such as ultrasound, may be needed as well. This is in addition to a yearly doctor’s examination and monthly self-examination. With this plan, about 98 % of breast cancers can be detected when they are very small and most easily curable. Of course, with this type of screening, it is only natural that many questions will be raised. About 50% of women can expect something to show up on a mammogram over a given ten-year period. Of these half will require an additional procedure such as a biopsy nowadays; this is often done with a needle, in the doctor’s office or as an outpatient procedure. The results then take about two working days to return. For the majority of women, the biopsy results will bring good news. Even in the event a cancer or malignant problem is found, if it is early, then the surgery can be done as an outpatient with only local anesthesia. In this case, a woman’s natural breast can be saved. This is called a lumpectomy. More and more women choose this over a mastectomy. In cases where a mastectomy is the preferred treatment, we can now offer immediate reconstruction, so a woman can have a nearly natural contour to her chest without a form. Even when a form is needed the newer products allow a woman to wear attractive swimsuits and other garments. Each year, breast cancer affects more lives, and each year more progress is made in diagnosing and treating this dread disease. No longer is it a terribly disfiguring disease. No longer is it a death sentence. While it is unlikely any of us will live to see it eliminated, we can all look forward to the day it is as curable as pneumonia or tuberculosis of any the other diseases our grandparents feared.