September 2009 Archives

Late-Stage Breast Cancer Patients Benefit from Breast Surgery

  • Posted on September 29, 2009 at 6:58 pm

The main treatment for most breast cancers is surgery to remove either the affected part of the breast (lumpectomy) or the entire breast (mastectomy).  If the cancer has spread, however, surgery is generally only offered if the breast tumor causes pain or other symptoms.

A new study reported in WebMD Health News challenges this thinking about women diagnosed late with breast cancer.  A recent review of pertinent medical records reveals that patients whose cancer had already metastasized to other parts of the body lived about a year and a half longer if their breast tumor was surgically removed.  Women should ask their doctors about these new research findings, which, if confirmed, may lead to major changes in treatment of this population of patients.  For further information see:  http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20090922/surgery-improves-late-stage-breast-cancer?ecd=wnl_brc_092909

Detecting regional cancer spread with less pain

  • Posted on September 28, 2009 at 5:40 pm

As a newly diagnosed breast cancer survivor in early 1996 I had 14 lymph nodes removed from my armpit (axial dissection) to detect breast cancer spread (stage my tumor).  All 14 were clean of cancer.  After chemo was complete that same armpit was radiated, further increasing my risk of developing lymphedema. In 1997 I developed arm swelling that was diagnosed as lymphedema.

Sound primitive by today’s standards?  You bet it was!

The sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy became the standard of care a year or two after my diagnosis as a much less invasive way to stage the cancer. To identify the SLN(s), the surgeon injects a radioactive blue dye near the tumor. The surgeon then uses a scanner to find the SLN(s) containing or stained with the radioactive dye. Once the SLN(s) are located, the surgeon makes a small incision in the skin overlying the SLN and removes the lymph node(s).

The SLN(s) is/are then checked for the presence of cancer cells by a pathologist (a doctor who identifies diseases by studying cells and tissue under a microscope). If cancer is found, the surgeon will usually remove more lymph nodes during the biopsy procedure or during a follow-up surgical procedure. SLN biopsy may be done on an outpatient basis or require a short stay in the hospital.

But every procedure involving cancer staging or treatment, it seems, comes with a cost.  A most recent article on the topic published by Ivanhoe Broadcast News  (www.healthscout.com/news/1/8022281/main.html?ic=6006) reports that patients experience excruciating pain when injected with the radioactive tracer as part of the SLN procedure.

Here’s the good news:  Eugene Woltering, M.D., a professor at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, recently developed an alternative radioactive blue dye for use in the SLN biopsy.  A study found that this dye, which lights up hard-to-see lymph nodes likely to be cancerous, works equally as well as the older dye, but without the pain.  Further, the new procedure exposes the patient to one-third less radiation than the current one.

Kudos to Dr. Woltering for another advance to ease the journey for breast cancer patients, just in time for October, breast-cancer awareness month.

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