From the first moment my wife discovered
she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even
ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have
received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than
mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started
this blog…
Every month, I’ll be highlighting breast
cancer research that is going on RIGHT NOW! Harvested from different websites,
journals and podcasts, I’ll translate them into understandable English and
share them with you. Today: http://www.cityofhope.org/blog/breast-cancer-dramatic-advances-create-revolution-in-treatment
“The move to
precision medicine in breast cancer means being able to match a patient with
the most effective treatment for her specific cancer, Mortimer said.
“‘When you
identify which drugs are best for individual patients, you are likely to find
more effective treatments for each individual,’ she said. ‘That means less
chemotherapy, less surgery and less radiation, which means fewer side effects.
This will also help prevent resistance to existing therapies.’
“The surgical
innovations offer breast cancer patients a better quality of life during and
after treatment, Kruper said. Cryoablation and laser therapy are less invasive
than traditional surgery, so patients recover more quickly and with less pain.’”
Wow.
Simply, “Wow.”
How far breast
cancer treatments have come in even five years was clearly illustrated when my
wife’s best friend, on her diagnosis of breast cancer, had a precise removal of
the tumors followed by radiation therapy. No “radical mastectomy” (How apt are
the words there! How horrifying the procedure!) for her.
That’s how much
things have changed. I’ve written about some of these therapies: the laser
therapy (http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2015/08/breast-cancer-research-right-now-36-low.html),
targeted treatments (just last time, here: http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2016/04/breast-cancer-research-right-now.html),
immunotherapy (http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2016/02/breast-cancer-research-right-now-42.html),
even the possibility of a breast cancer vaccine (http://breastcancerreaper.blogspot.com/2015/04/breast-cancer-research-right-now-32.html).
We are creating
more and more ways to fight cancer in general and breast cancer in particular.
It occurs to me –
unfortunately – that I could be angry. I could go on and be offensive. I could
shake my fist at the heavens (or the hells) and shout, “Why did my wife have to
suffer so much? Why her?!?!?”
I could do that –
until I realize that I have a daughter. A daughter-in-law. Nieces.
Nieces-by-marriage. I have a granddaughter. I even have friends. Students. Any
number of women – and LET’S NOT FORGET THAT MEN CAN GET BREAST CANCER, TOO!!!! –
I know are at risk of this disease. BC research can only move us (as Humanity)
forward.
All of them
might well live to see a day when breast cancer is eradicated. Made to
disappear. “Becomes as smallpox”. At this moment, there is only one subcategory
under the Wikipedia entry on “Eradicated diseases”, and that is smallpox.
I would love to
live to the day when “breast cancer” has been added.
How about you?
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