Breast Cancer Survival Rate Improved Using Targeted Therapy and Genetic Profiling

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancer in women in many countries and the peak age of occurrence is between 44 and 60 years old. New research found that breast cancer survival rate are being improved using targeted therapy and genetic profiling of tumors. An advancement in breast cancer treatment.

Such advancements consists of developments in radiotherapy, which have enabled this treatment selection to get more targeted and develop less side effects and the existence of new chemotherapy and hormonal drugs.

Radiotherapy is now more exact and these cuts down long term adverse effect on the surrounding organs. Betterment in chemotherapy permits formerly resistive tumors to be controlled. Having more chemotherapy options allows oncologist to use less older and more toxic chemotherapy drugs.

Study has indicated that advancements in medical technology have corresponded with improvement in breast cancer survival rates. The latest betterment in breast cancer treatment are targeted therapy and tumor genetic profiling.

Targeted therapy is a new type of cancer treatment which utilizes drugs or other compounds to home in on and attack cancer cells. Genetic profiling of tumor correspondences and deciphers the genetic data of tumors. Genetic profiling permits doctor to anticipate the behavior of the cancer, especially its ability to induce a relapse in future.

One example of how targeted therapy can be used to fight breast cancer is the artificially produced antibody trastuzumab, which could be used in both early and late stage breast cancer if the target that the antibody works on is present.
These drugs switch off the growth breast cancer cells, which forces cancer to grow and proliferate. Their added advantage is that they have minimal side effects.

Besides advancements in breast treatment, a change in doctors approach to breast cancer treatment which may have also encouraged breast cancer survival rates. There is a trend in doctors towards being more restrained or conservative use of surgery and being more aggressive use of chemotherapy, targeted therapy and hormonal therapy.

By channelizing effort towards better control of relapse in the rest of the body, the survival rates of with breast cancer has steadily improved. Now, when breast cancer is discovered at an earlier stage, it is not rare to be able to reach long-term survival in eight or nine out of 10 women.