My cat suffers from acute anxiety. Although she and I have lived together for more than 12 years, and the worst thing I've ever done to her was cut her nails, she's terrified of me. (She's also very smart - she runs from the sound of my car, but not my husband's). During trips to vet, Bibs hides her eyes in the crook of my elbow.
It's a strategy that's only minimally effective. After all, what I can't see, or don't recognize, can still hurt me.
Take breast cancer. It terrifies most women. And if you don't look for it, you won't find it. But if you do look, and find it early, you might save your life and your breast, says Amanda Wheeler, MD, a Stanford breast surgeon. She joined other Stanford breast cancer experts at a recent public program sponsored by the Stanford Women's Cancer Center called "The Latest Advancements in Screening and Treatment for Breast Cancer."
"One of our biggest challenge is women are scared of breast cancer, but[we have to get] the word out that we have such great advances, we’ve just got to catch it early," Wheeler said.
She pointed to a tiny dot on a screen. At that size, Wheeler said, breast cancer is almost 100 percent curable. She performs a small lumpectomy. If it's a little bigger, she can still probably save the nipple.
And if the entire breast must be removed, surgeons like Rahim Nazerali, MD, come in. Nazarali explained the importance of choosing a reconstruction surgeon carefully: The doctor should be accredited by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and have experience with microsurgery, preferably on the breast. There are different ways to remold a breast and doctors can use either a synthetic implant or a patient's own tissue, from their abdomen, hips or thighs, Nazerali explained.
All of Wheeler and Nazerali's artistry depends on expert imaging performed by specialists like Jafi Lipson, MD, whose message at the event was simple and encouraging.
Thanks to many new developments, mammography isn't the only way to detect nascent breast cancers, Lipson said. Her team can employ 3-D mammography, or tomosynthesis, to reveal a layered look at a breast. And genetic screening, particularly for those with a history of breast cancer in the family, can provide the earliest warning signal of all, the breast cancer team said.
Women no longer need to hide their eyes from the risk, the experts emphasized. Women should take a peek - there's help coping with what they may find.
Previously: Screening could slash number of breast cancer cases, The squeeze: Compression during mammography important for accurate breast cancer detection, Despite genetic advances, detection still key in breast cancer, NIH Director highlights Stanford research on breast cancer surgery choices, Breast cancer awareness: Beneath the pink packaging and Using 3-D technology to screen for breast cancer
Photo by Notigatos
