Breast cancer often develops within the glandular tissue of the breast, leading to the development of a tumor that can eventually spread throughout the body and prove fatal. Through years of cancer research, doctors and researchers have worked to increase the efficacy of cancer prevention, detection and treatment, with the aim of increasing breast cancer survival. As a result, the five-year breast cancer survival rate has risen dramatically, with almost 90 percent of women with breast cancer surviving more than five years after diagnosis, according to the National Cancer Institute. A number of technological advances have contributed to this increase in breast cancer survival.
Genetic Screening
A major advance in breast cancer treatment is the ability to screen individuals and assess their future risk of breast cancer. Two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, have been identified as important mutations in cancer development. Patients who inherit a mutation to either gene have a marked increase in their risk for developing breast or ovarian cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. Families with a history of breast cancer, especially breast cancer in men, may therefore carry mutations to either BRCA1 or BRCA2. Using genetic screening, patients with a large family history of breast cancer can determine whether they have inherited these mutations, and can undergo therapy to prevent the development of breast cancer. As a result, patients who have undergone testing can reduce their risk of breast cancer through preventative therapies, and undergo close monitoring for early detection of any cancer growth, allowing for better patient survival.
Identification of Cancer Cell Markers
Not all cases of breast cancer are identical. During cancer development, breast cells undergo a number of genetic mutations, and this combination of mutations allows for tumor growth. As a result, each breast cancer has it's own set of genetic mutations, and therefore may posses different characteristics than a tumor with another genetic profile. Over time, cancer cell markers have been identified, that help doctors predict how a breast tumor will respond to therapy. Doctors routinely test for the presence of hormone receptors, which act as markers for less aggressive forms of cancer. According to BreastCancer.org, hormone receptor-positive tend to respond to hormone therapies, while hormone receptor-negative cancers, such as triple-negative breast cancers, tend to be more aggressive and require more aggressive treatment. By using medical tests that stain for specific cell markers, doctors can predict the aggressiveness and characteristics of an individual's breast cancer.
More Personalized Treatment
In addition to the breakthrough of being able to characterize a breast cancer by using markers like hormone receptors, breakthroughs in breast cancer treatment allow doctors to treat the cancer based on the presence of certain markers. For example, breast cancer cells containing high levels of the estrogen receptor typically respond to estrogen-based therapies, so patients with these cancers may receive Tamoxifen, a drug that prevents estrogen signalling in breast cancer, reports the National Cancer Institute. The use of personalized therapies allows doctors to effectively treat a specific type of breast cancer and develop treatment strategy likely to work for each individual patient. As our understanding of breast cancers continues to increase due to massive cancer research efforts, patients with breast cancer can expect to receive even more specialized treatment to most effectively treat their breast cancer.
