Exciting news in the world of breast cancer research and breast cancer prevention and treatment.  Remember how we talked about new genetic testing that could be done and was on the very fringe of breast cancer research?  Well, apparently one of these “gene tests” is now FDA approved to better predict whether women are prone to breast cancer, or more importantly, to help determine how agressive an individual woman’s breast cancer treatment should be based on the likelihood of remission, further spread, etc. 

This gene test is formulated for women with early stage breast cancer, which is usually detected in a mammogram test, and not (usually, but of course not always), through examination and discovery of a lump.  It can detect through gene testing, the likelihood of a recurrence of the cancer within the next five to ten years.  This new test is called the MammaPrint, and while it is not error proof or doesn’t have drawbacks, like any other part of modern medicine, it’s nonetheless very exciting.  Amazing stuff, huh? 

This information garnered from the gene test will help the oncologists figure out how they want to treat the initial breast cancer tumors in the early stages.  In other words, it could mean the difference between a mastectomy, a partial mastectomy, or what’s called a lumpectomy, where only the most local cancer is removed. 

Mastectomies, while many times necessary and life saving, are a very serious psychological hurdle for many women to overcome.  It takes away an amount of a woman’s sense of femininity and womanhood, so the fact that doctors may be better able to avoid mastectomies that are not medically necessary is great news for breast cancer survivors. 

 

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Posted in Breast Cancer Prevention by Breast News Girl No Comments Yet