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Print7 Healthcast: Breast Cancer Treatment
Some good news today regarding breast cancer -- a new study shows a combination of treatments leads to better survival rates for some women with breast cancer.
When it comes to surviving early stage breast cancer, a combination of treatments works best. A new study finds chemotherapy and hormone therapy can cut the 15-year risk of death from breast cancer by half.
Surgical oncologist Michele Gadd of Mass General Hospital said the study results are similar to what she sees in her patients. "We believe we have seen a better result than we've seen in the past."
More than a million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. This study looked at 145,000 women in two dozen countries.
Dr. Gadd believes this study will be helpful when discussing treatment options with patients.
"It's sometimes hard to recommend treatment that takes 6-9 months to get through for a small tumor. But these results will support continuing that therapy because it gives you the best chance of survival," said Dr. Gadd.
An early diagnosis and treatment are a woman's best chance of surviving breast cancer. That’s why breast self-examinations and mammograms are important.
Mammograms are recommended annually from age 40 on.
This is the largest follow up study of women with early stage breast cancer and also one of the longest. Some of the women in the study were followed for 15-years. The study is in the Lancet Medical Journal.
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