3 ms·

We're not sure. One interesting study on breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy, found that local control was obtained but more women were eventually dy

We're not sure. One interesting study on breast cancer patients receiving radiotherapy, found that local control was obtained but more women were eventually dying from heart failure from being in the radiation field. This essentially offset the gain. This couldn't be seen with 5 year survival rates. Now physicians are focused on protecting the heart and hopefully, eliminating cardiac toxicities. That vignette just shows that 5y survival is a difficult metric and only shows a small piece of the picture. Others have rightly pointed out, stratification of data based on stage would be helpful. Improvement in 5 year survival of stage 4 patients, could be very meaningful. Unfortunately, new treatments are adding months (on average) not years. The best thing we (as a country) did, was wake up to the dangers of smoking. When per capita cancer diagnoses decline and survival rates remain steady (or improve), then we know more people are living longer.

Qudava 8y ago
Sorry for your loss. I know that currently, more than 50% of patients after treatment live five years or more - this is the period that an oncologist registers a woman after surgery and, if there are no recurrences or complications, is removed from the register as recovered. When my friend got sick, I climbed the whole site https://samples.edusson.com/breast-cancer/ https://samples.edusson.com/breast-cancer/ and read all the essays about breast cancer, prevention, and diagnosis. Now comes the 4th year of her struggle, but I hope that this research will not concern her case in any way.
pfdietz 8y ago
My mother in law lived with breast cancer for ten years, and dropped dead of a heart attack in a dentist's waiting room. Radiation effect on coronary arteries may well have contributed.
- sandwall 8y ago
  I am sorry for your loss. It may very well may have been due to the radiotherapy. Left Breast cancer patients were at greatest risk. The Left Anterior Descending (LAD) has been identified as the "Organ At Risk." We used to treat the heart as a parallel organ, like the lungs; damage a piece with no significant harm to the overall function. We've discovered that it may be a serial organ, like the spine; damage a piece and you impair the entire organ. Or in this case the LAD is a critical element. The mechanism of action is believed to be accelerated atherosclerosis; hardening of the artery leading to blockage: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4188157/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4188157/ We now use breath hold techniques and completely spare the heart, but mistakes were made -- that only a long retrospective review of the data was able to reveal: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1209825 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1209825
  - pfdietz 8y ago
    Thanks! I'll send those links to my daughter, who's in her residency right now.

Qudava 8y ago

Sorry for your loss. I know that currently, more than 50% of patients after treatment live five years or more - this is the period that an oncologist registers a woman after surgery and, if there are no recurrences or complications, is removed from the register as recovered. When my friend got sick, I climbed the whole site https://samples.edusson.com/breast-cancer/ https://samples.edusson.com/breast-cancer/ and read all the essays about breast cancer, prevention, and diagnosis. Now comes the 4th year of her struggle, but I hope that this research will not concern her case in any way.

pfdietz 8y ago

My mother in law lived with breast cancer for ten years, and dropped dead of a heart attack in a dentist's waiting room. Radiation effect on coronary arteries may well have contributed.

sandwall 8y ago
I am sorry for your loss. It may very well may have been due to the radiotherapy. Left Breast cancer patients were at greatest risk. The Left Anterior Descending (LAD) has been identified as the "Organ At Risk." We used to treat the heart as a parallel organ, like the lungs; damage a piece with no significant harm to the overall function. We've discovered that it may be a serial organ, like the spine; damage a piece and you impair the entire organ. Or in this case the LAD is a critical element. The mechanism of action is believed to be accelerated atherosclerosis; hardening of the artery leading to blockage: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4188157/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4188157/ We now use breath hold techniques and completely spare the heart, but mistakes were made -- that only a long retrospective review of the data was able to reveal: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1209825 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1209825
- pfdietz 8y ago
  Thanks! I'll send those links to my daughter, who's in her residency right now.