The Arizona Republic - 10/19/2018
Why I’m optimistic in the
war against breast cancer
Your Turn
Sherry Gage
Guest columnist
This month, we honor those we’ve
lost to breast cancer and we support
family and friends who are battling this
insidious disease by participating in
walks, runs and other charitable events
dedicated to funding research, preven-
tive education, diagnosis, treatment
and cure.
Celebrated internationally each Oc-
tober, Breast Cancer Awareness Month
has come a long way since the campaign
started in the mid-1980s.
The massive “pink movement” we’ve
seen over the years has made a tremen-
dous positive impact. A case in point: a
recent report from the American Cancer
Society finds that death rates from
breast cancer in the United States have
plummeted 39 percent between 1989
and 2015.
That’s 322,600 deaths avoided dur-
ing those 26 years! This progress is at-
tributed to improvements in early de-
tection.
I have worked in oncology for many
years, and I’ve never been more opti-
mistic about what the future holds for
women and men diagnosed with breast
cancer. In addition to awareness cam-
paigns about the importance of screen-
ings, advanced technologies are leading
to more accurate diagnoses so breast
cancer can be detected and treated in its
earliest stages.
Among these advancements are 3D
mammography, or tomosynthesis, ded-
icated breast ultrasounds, breast MRIs
and stereotactic and ultrasound guided
biopsies. To complement these technol-
ogies is an even more concerted effort to
educate patients, families and care-
givers. This is crucial in treating the
whole patient.
The idea is that if patients under-
stand their diagnosis and care, they are
more capable of accepting the care
needed and maintaining family, work
and social requirements of their journey
through cancer.
Some of the technologies we use at
Abrazo are well-known to patients,
PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK Copyright © 2018 The Arizona Republic 10/19/2018
October 19, 2018 9:25 am (GMT +7:00)
Page : ZG19
while others still require a greater level
of understanding. For example, I’m of-
ten asked what the difference is be-
tween 3D and 2D mammography.
Three-dimensional mammography
received FDA approval in 2011 and has
proven to increase the detection of early
stage breast cancer by up to 40 percent.
Patients often can’t tell the difference
during their screening, but a key benefit
of 3D mammography is its ability to de-
termine overlapping tissue that on 2D
could look like a suspicious area. In
short, 3D technology is more precise, al-
lowing physicians to view each layer of
tissue in the breast. This decreases the
likelihood of return visits for more tests.
While I’m thrilled with the success of
breast-cancer awareness campaigns, I
don’t want women to get complacent.
Screening should start at age 40, but
those with a family history may need to
be screened sooner. For women who are
at high risk or have been found to be
positive for BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene muta-
tion, screening should begin between
the ages of 25 and 30.
About 80 percent of breast cancers
occur in women with no family history
or known risk factors. Cancers in young-
er women tend to be more aggressive, so
early detection is critical. As such,
women should look for changes in their
breast exam and be their own advocate
if they suspect something is wrong.
One cancer that people don’t talk
about much is Inflammatory breast can-
cer. It’s rare, but it presents in a very
similar way to the much more common
mastitis, so it may be treated first with
antibiotics and then biopsy if the antibi-
otics are not effective. In general, for all
cancers, it’s important to watch for skin
thickening and firmness in the breast,
lumps and nipple retraction.
The progress of the pink movement is
undeniable. Still, women should be
proactive about knowing their breast
density and risk assessment value, and
no matter their schedule, make time to
get screened annually with 3D mam-
mography if possible.
Sherry R. Gage, RTRM, is director of
oncology services at Abrazo Central
Campus in Phoenix. For more informa-
tion, visit AbrazoHealth.com.
Powered by TECNAVIA