New Frontiers in Breast Cancer Research

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - July/August 2009

After years of working for a "cure" for breast cancer, researchers have come to realize the enormity of the task. Although therapeutic advances are making it possible for women with advanced breast cancer to live longer, more comfortable lives, scientists still have a long way to go before they fully understand this complex disease. At this year's Society of Surgical Oncology's annual Cancer Symposium, researchers zeroed in on several key areas that could eventually unlock new methods of controlling, and possibly eliminating, this all too pervasive threat. Read more...

New Frontiers in Breast Cancer Research

Article preview reprinted from Medtech Insight - July/August 2009

Breast cancer is expected to strike more than 192,000 American women this year and over 40,000 will die of the disease, according to the latest data from the American Cancer Society (ACS). As the most common cancer diagnosed in women, and the second-leading cause of female cancer-related deaths (behind lung cancer), breast cancer is a high priority target for research dollars, and President Obama, who lost his grandmother to breast cancer prior to last November's election, has indicated his support for increasing research investment in this area.

But after years of working for a "cure," researchers have come to realize the enormity of the task. Although therapeutic advances are making it possible for women with advanced breast cancer to live longer, more comfortable lives, scientists still have a long way to go before they fully understand this complex disease. At the Society of Surgical Oncology's (SSO) annual Cancer Symposium, held this spring in Phoenix, AZ, researchers discussed the current state of knowledge in the breast cancer field. Although they could probably still fill volumes about what they don't know at this point, researchers have zeroed in on several key areas that could eventually unlock new methods of controlling, and possibly eliminating, this all too pervasive threat.

Current research topics that are likely to impact future care paradigms include more sensitive imaging tools to enable earlier diagnosis and better treatment planning, methods to improve tumor characterization, increased use of combined therapies, and vaccines and other novel therapeutics. The common thread among all of these areas of interest is a growing focus on personalized care and targeting therapy to each patient's specific case.

Kristina Rebelo is a contributing writer for Medtech Insight. Mary Thompson is Executive Editor of Medtech Insight.

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Companies mentioned in this article:

Duke University

Fujifilm Holdings Corp.

General Electric Co.

GE Healthcare

Hologic Inc.

Mauna Kea Technologies SAS

Mayo Clinic College of Medicine

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

Michigan State University

National Institutes of Health

National Cancer Institute

Royal Philips Electronics NV

Philips Medical Systems Inc.

Siemens AG

Siemens Medical Solutions

SpectraScience Inc.

University of Alabama

University of Alabama at Birmingham

University of California

University of California, Davis

University of Florida

University of Toledo

University of Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin, Madison

Varian Medical Systems Inc.

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