Early detection of second breast cancer reduces fatalities by half

Washington, March 18: Long-term monitoring is vital for breast cancerdefine survivors because even though the first two years are the riskiest for recurrence, new or secondary tumors raise their ugly head years later.

According to new research published in the cancerdefine journal Annals of Oncology, if the second breast cancer is detected early, then the chances of survival rose by 27-47 percent as opposed to those whose second breast cancer was detected at a later stage.

Nehmat Houssami, from the University of Sydney's School of Public Health and her team conducted a comprehensive study on how an early detection could prevent fatalities from second breast cancer. She stated that "Intuitively, it makes sense to consider that early detection of second breast cancers will improve prognosisdefine, since breast cancer survivors have a long-term risk of developing further disease or relapse in either breast."

The researchers scrutinized 1,044 women who attended a clinical centre in Florence, between the years1980-2005. Out of the total, 455 women were diagnosed with ipsilateral breast cancers (IBC) and 589 women with contralateral breast cancers (CBC). Of these second cancers, 699 (67%) were asymptomatic and 345 (33%) were symptomatic.

The study assessed the role of routine follow up in the management of breast cancer, by establishing recurrence of breast cancer and identifying the proportion of patients who were diagnosed as a consequence of regular follow up.

Early detection showed a significant decline in breast cancer deaths. Breast cancer sufferers who go into remission but then have it reappear are at half the risk of succumbing to the ailment if the tumor is spotted early.

Most doctors use mammography and ultrasound as the standard tools to screen women without cancer, and after having breast cancer. MRIs are recommended for individuals who have a strong family history for breast cancer.

A woman who has had breast cancer has a higher risk for developing a new breast cancer than someone who has never had breast cancer. That is why it is vital to get the follow-up treatment and care, your doctor recommends. With proper follow-up, the doctor can keep track of the recuperation process, including taking care of side effects of treatment. Also if there is a lymph node it can be detected early when treatment has the best chance to succeed.

Houssami declared that "Recommendations on follow-up after treatment of early breast cancer should consider our findings, which suggest that early detection of second breast cancer events improves prognosis."

The researchers found that a majority of tumors are identified by mammogramdefine, which was more sensitive than clinical examination that detected only14 percent of the second cancers.