Breast Cancer Breakthroughs

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'm pleased to read that a number of recent advances will help prevent, detect and treat the disease that women dread so much. Among them:

• Tough cases get a little easier A new category of PARP inhibitors, when used along with chemo increased survival time by 50 percent in a recent study of patients with advanced breast cancer. Researchers are hopeful this striking improvement will hold up in further studies, as relatively few drugs work against breast cancer where tumors are lacking receptors for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2.
• Screenings get a fine tuning Family history, age, and whether you've had kids have been classic risk factors for breast cancer. A major review of studies suggests a woman's vulnerability after menopause is better estimated if you also consider the density of her breast tissue. Ask your physician if your mammmogram indicates dense tissue, and if it does a digital mammogram may help since it's more accurate for dense breasts.

If these are things that remind you to schedule your next appointment, keep in mind that National Mammography Day will be celebrated on October 16th. On this day some radiologists provide discounts or free mammogram screenings. It is smartest to hope for the best while planning for the worst.