Ovarian Cancer - Genetic Screening and Surgical Prevention

Breast conservation consists of a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy. In the standard approach, X ray treatment is administered five days a week for 5-6 weeks. Some women cannot work this out and need to have a mastectomy.

Besides BRCA 1 and 2 mutations, there are other factors which increase a woman’s risk of developing a breast or ovarian cancer.

Since all DCIS is not the same as regards malignant potential, Dr. Hwang describes a clinical trial which will hopefully provide some answers.

The goal of clinical trials is to improve the outcome of standard therapy, to determine if a new approach will work better as well as to monitor side effects.

Hormone therapy is used in all stages of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. The success of five years of Tamoxifen in post menopausal women has been augmented by the addition of Aromatase inhibitors.

Hormone therapy is a standard treatment for both early-stage and metastatic breast cancer. New studies show that extending the duration of treatment in post-menopausal women beyond the standard five years may reduce cancer recurrence and improve survival.

Fibroids are a common benign condition which usually doesn’t require treatment. 

The aim of surgery is to remove all of the cancer in the breast. The initial pioneering operation was a quadrantectomy.

DCIS is the most common type of noninvasive breast cancer. It develops in the ducts of the breast and is also called in situ disease.