Breast cancer curable if treated early enough, doctor says

"Do we have a cure for breast cancer?," asked Karina Alexis Casillas, 10, a fifth-grader at O'Plaine School in Gurnee.

"Breast cancer is very curable when found early," said Dr. Ermilo Barrera Jr., chief of surgery at Glenbrook Hospital, American Cancer Society board member and past president of the Illinois division of the ACS.

Cancer is a break or change in the genetic code that can make cells become destructive to other cells and destructive to body functions. If the process is not stopped, it can result in death. Scientists are still trying to understand why those cells change.

Research has shown that some families pass the trait to younger generations. Breast cancer and colon cancer can occur in that way. Another way cancer is triggered is by the toxins in the environment and by smoking. Lung cancer can be traced to both causes.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. It can occur in the ducts or the lymph glands that are in and around the breasts. Estrogen, a hormone found in high quantities in women, fuels the cancer cells.

If identified early, the chances are that the cancer would not have spread to other parts of the body. While there are more women with breast cancer today than there were 50 years ago, breast cancer is quickly identified in most cases and can be treated. Between 2001 and 2004, female breast cancer rates in the United States decreased each year by 3.5 percent.

"Over 90 percent of women who have breast cancer diagnosed at an early stage, either non-invasive cancer or invasive cancer that has not spread to the lymph glands, will die of something else," Barrera said.

The best way to find breast cancer in its early stages is by having a yearly mammogram, a special x-ray of the breast, which is 85 to 90 percent effective in diagnosing breast cancer cells. Every year, every woman over 40 years old should have a mammogram. Some women find the exam uncomfortable, but newer techniques have reduced the amount of time to a few seconds that the mammogram machine exerts pressure on the body.

Women with a mother, aunt or sister who have had breast cancer or who have test results that show a positive gene for breast cancer should consult with their doctor about how often they should have a mammogram and the type of exam to be taken. An MRI is often used to identify harder-to-detect breast cancer.

Early diagnosis can usually mean a removal of the cancerous tissue in an outpatient procedure, followed by treatment using a special drugs.

There are many treatments available for women whose breast cancer was missed by early diagnosis and who have cancer in other areas in the body.

"Even women whose breast cancer has spread can live a long time," Barrera said. "Treatments are much better than they were even 10 to 15 years ago. The two biggest breakthroughs are anti-estrogen hormones like Tamoxifen and drugs like Herceptin that stop cancer from making new blood vessels."

You wouldn't miss your six-month dental check-up, so make sure, when it comes time, you don't miss your annual mammogram. Find out if the older women in your life -- your mother, grandmother or aunt -- are having mammogram exams regularly. If not, your insistence that they schedule a mammogram could save a life.

Raising money for breast cancer research

Here are upcoming fundraising events for breast cancer awareness and research:

• Avon Walk for Breast Cancer: May 31 to June 1. For details, visit walk.avonfoundation.org.

• Susan G. Komen For The Cure Breast Cancer 3-day walk: Aug. 8 to 10. For details, visit www.08.the3day.org.

• American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, Oct. 19. For details, visit makingstrides.acsevents.org.