Breast Cancer Research

Hope is an important weapon; some say the best weapon in the fight against breast cancer and for all cancers. And hope can be seen in a tangible form in the field of research. It is happening constantly in places around the globe. There may be wars and disputes which divide people but in cancer research we are untied. Scientists share discoveries and publish papers on breakthroughs.

We should all be grateful for the people who donate time to the cause of raising money for breast cancer research. Make no mistake; research costs a lot of money and the tireless efforts of thousands of volunteers can never be underestimated. Each passing day brings researchers that bit closer to a breakthrough which will help in prevention, treatment and cure. We live in hope.

One aspect we should understand is the complexity of the disease. Medical researchers are highly trained and experienced people. It requires all their experience and expertise to think of new topics to research, new approaches to tackling the disease. And sometimes the research takes a gamble. We do not know the result until the effort is made.

Breast cancer is unique. The severity of the disease, the age and health of the patient, the type and amount of treatment are just some of the factors which help make each case and every patient different. In some cases the cancer is particularly strong and requires a certain type of treatment. Recent research has found that a combination of chemotherapy and the taking of the drug Herceptin have produced encouraging results. This form of treatment has slowed the growth of the cancer. Of course destruction of the disease is the primary and desired goal but slowing a tumor’s growth gives the patient and her medical team time to further attack the problem.

The research on this form of combination treatment was all the more satisfying because it was conducted on women who had already undergone a variety of treatments without success. Finding something which gives time and thus added hope to the patient, her family and medical team is always most welcome.

One of the setbacks in breast cancer treatment is that any research which produces encouraging results needs to be verified before approval is granted. Sometimes the testing procedures can take many months and even years. This is why more research is always required. This is why a greater sample of patients need to be included in the research. This is why funds need to be raised to finance these procedures. At the time of writing, the so-called wonder drug Herceptin in tandem with other treatments was still in the research stage. Many women will believe this type of new treatment could be the best news they could receive in the battle to slow the growth of their breast cancer.

Great strides have been taken in breast cancer research. Much more still needs to be done. With increased government and charitable funding more will be done. And it is comforting to know that research results are shared between researchers in different hospitals and across state and national borders.