October is Breast Cancer awareness month.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer worldwide and ranks as one of the top 5 most common causes of cancer deaths each year. However, when detected early and treated accordingly, it has one of the highest remission rates. Hence, why awareness and improved technologies are so vital.
In most hospitals in Nigeria, routinely used technologies used when managing breast cancer are ultrasounds, mammograms (breast x-rays), histology (which checks the types of cancer cells), surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy (radiation of cancer cells). However, these leave a bit to be desired.
In with 3-D mammograms (aka tomosynthesis), a new technology that help to create 3D images of the breasts superior to the plane 2-D images of standard mammograms. They are superior in image quality and offer more angles of view.
In fact, they have been shown to be better at detecting breast cancer and avoiding false positives among women 40 years and older. With this, more cases can be detected early and treated.
Another recent advancement in breast cancer treatment/management is Molecular Breast Imaging (MBI) which uses methods originally created for heart tests.
MBI is a promising field and is very sensitive in detecting breast cancer among asymptomatic (those yet to show symptoms), high-risk women. Research also suggests that it is more sensitive in catching cases of breast cancer with multiple points of invasion when compared to mammography.
However, advances in breast cancer are not limited to breast cancer detection alone. With regards to treatment immunotherapy is a new area that piggybacks off the body’s immune system to fight breast cancer.
Drugs such as Herceptin and Bevacizumab target proteins expressed by specific genes not present in all breast cancers. When present, it helps to avoid many of the side effects of chemo and radiotherapy.
Overall, as more research are carried out and technologies improve, we will continue to witness more robust and effective treatment and management of breast cancer.
