Today is World Cancer Research Day
More individuals who are diagnosed with breast cancer are living longer due to earlier diagnosis and treatment, including advances in treatment in recent years. The overall 5-year relative survival rate is now 90%. Here are just a few of the recent medical advances that are playing a part in this success.
New imaging tests are being studied, including:
Optical imaging measures the amount of light that comes back or passes through breast tissue.
Molecular breast imaging involves injecting a “tracer” (slightly radioactive drug) into a vein. This drug attaches to breast cancer cells and a special camera sees the tracer cells.
Position emission mammography is a scan where sugar is attached to a radioactive particle to look for cancer cells
Electrical impedance tomography looks for breast cancer cells based on the different way breast cancer cells and normal cells conduct electricity.
Artificial Intelligence and mammograms:
Radiologists now can use AI software to help them get a better read on mammograms.
Targeted therapy:
Certain drugs target cells that make too much of the HER2 protein. These targeted drugs include Verzenio, Tecentriq, Avastin, and Tykerb.
Bone-directed treatments:
Drugs like Aredia and Zometa help strengthen bones to which breast cancer has spread.
Liquid Biopsy:
This test is used to look for circulating tumor DNA, a small amount of DNA from a cancer tumor in the bloodstream.
Source: “Breakthroughs in Finding and Treating Breast Cancer,” WebMD (February 8, 2021)