Cancer Breakthroughs for Women

A diagnosis of cancer is not the death-knell it was in our parents' day, but it is still the second leading cause of death in women. Only heart disease is more deadly. This year 680,000 women will be diagnosed with cancer and 270,000 will die. The 10 most common types of cancer in women are:

1. Breast
2. Lung
3. Colon/rectum
4. Uterus/cervix
5. Urinary tract
6. Lymphoma
7. Melanoma
8. Thyroid
9. Ovary
10. Leukemia

Today there is plenty of hope on the horizon. Five-year survival rates are up significantly. Nearly 90% of the women who contract breast cancer are still alive five years after diagnosis. The survival rate for uterine/cervical cancer is 73%; 66% for kidney cancer and 65% for colon cancer.

There are many proactive steps you can take to minimize your risk of contracting cancer. Prevention magazine suggests nine ways to combat cancer.

1. Get the new vaccine Gardasil to protect yourself from cervical cancer. Currently approved for women age 9 to 26, clinical trails are now being conducted to determine effectiveness on older women. Drug companies soon hope to gain FDA approval to vaccinate women up to age 55.
2. Avoid hormone replacement therapy (HRT) when you can or use the lowest dose possible. Research has proved a direct link between HRT and breast cancer.
3. Get plenty of vitamin D. Numerous studies indicate that vitamin
   D fights cancer, possibly cutting the risk of getting any cancer by 60%. Two to three times a week for 5 to 15 minutes spend time in the sunshine without sunscreen. The short exposure shouldn't increase your risk of skin cancer doctors say. But if you're concerned, take your vitamin D in tablet form. Researchers recommend 1,100 IU per day.
4. Use chemotherapy only when truly necessary. A new tool called Oncotype DX tests tumor genes to predict whether a breast cancer patient will benefit from chemo in addition to hormone therapy. A test by Loyola University Health System found 23% of women who would have been recommended for chemotherapy didn't need it.
5. DNA researchers are discovering more genes that increase cancer susceptibility. In the not too distant future, they expect to develop tests that will determine an individual's amount of cancer risk.
6. Use drugs that target your cancer. Herceptin reduces breast cancer recurrence rates by an amazing 50% for HER-2 positive cancer. The drug uses an antibody to seek out and destroy HER-2 cancer cells. The FDA has just approved the treatment for all HER-2 positive cancer, not just breast cancer.
7. Lung cancer kills more women than any other cancer. The 5-year survival rate is only 16%. New, less-invasive surgery techniques make treatment easier and recovery faster. Video-assisted thoracoscopic (VATS) surgery requires only a small incision between the ribs and sends you home in about 3 days.
8. Learn to identify possible ovarian cancer symptoms: pelvic pain, prolonged bloating, urinary problems, loss of appetite or feeling full quickly. Women who experience these symptoms probably don't have cancer, but it pays to be proactive, so see your doctor promptly. More women die from ovarian cancer because it is discovered too late. A simple blood test for the protein CA-125 can detect the presence of cancer.
9. Ask about new radiation treatments. Many women choose to have a mastectomy instead of the less drastic lumpectomy to avoid radiation treatments. Typically, treatments are given for five days a week for five weeks. A new study shows three weeks of radiation is enough to get the job done. A five-day radiation treatment using temporary insertion of radioactive pellets at the tumor site is also being studied.