This week I (Michelle's Place on Twitter) received a tweet that read "what about pancreatic? We've nailed breast?"This stopped me in my tracks. Do people really believe we have nailed breast cancer? Does the statistic of approximately 90% chance of 5-year survival when diagnosed in the early stages imply that we have it under control and there is no reason to worry?
I don't think so.
According to the American Cancer Society, your relative survival rate decreases if you are diagnosed with breast cancer before the age of 40. Yes, it drops to 84%.
If you do not catch breast cancer early which can happen easily in today's down economy when not everyone is insured and can easily get the diagnostics they need, 5-year relative survival is 23% for distant stage disease and tumor size plays a part in this too. (Source: ACS Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2011-2012)
And remember, just a few weeks ago...Robin Roberts, announced she has a blood disorder called MDS, myelodysplastic syndrome (preleukemia), resulting from chemotherapy from her breast cancer over 5 years ago. Here she was on a journey that had her believing she was cancer free and now she is facing more excruciating treatments. I lost my mother to Leukemia that started as MDS resulting from chemotherapy in March of this year and her doctors told her she was going to beat it too. I want Robin Roberts to beat MDS because no one should have lose this battle. Ideally, no one should have to face this battle. I still have a lot of questions about the long-term consequences of the breast cancer treatments we are using and where that leaves women 5-10 years down the road. Especially if younger women are dealing with more aggressive breast cancers and chemotherapy gets stronger and more aggressive.
So have we really nailed breast cancer? My answer is no.
The statistics show we are heading in the right direction. Death rates have been decreasing since 1990 especially in younger women which means we are getting the education out there for early detection. We need to make sure women understand that just because breast cancer does not run in your family does not mean you are off the hook. 85% of breast cancers occur in women with no family history. My sister-in-law, Michelle, who we lost at age 26 had no family history. Educating the community is a large part of what we do at Michelle's Place. However, as long as we are seeing women walking through our doors misdiagnosed, the battle will be far from over. Get educated, ask questions, and be your own health advocate!
Are we fighting the battle like true warriors? Yes.
How are you waging war against breast cancer?
