EMAIL WOMENSOC@aol.com

Early Detection: The Key to Survival© Women's Soccer World July /August 1997

by William M. Mayer M.D.

On November 1, 1996, my wife, Claudia Mayer, became one of the approximately 45,000 women in the United States to die from breast cancer in that year. In 1996 approximately 185,000 women in the USA were diagnosed as having breast cancer. Incredibly, it is predicted that one out of eight women in the United States will develop breast cancer in her lifetime.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women ages 40 to 44, and ranks behind only lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in all women. Alarmingly, the rate of new cases of breast cancer has risen dramatically since 1960. This is especially true in the Mid-Atlantic area from Long Island Sound to Virginia.

The five-year survival rate for women with breast cancer is approximately 83%, while the ten-year rate drops to 65%. Despite advances in chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, the death rate has dropped only a small amount since 1930. The key to survival is early detection. Routine breast self-examination and recommended screening mammography are our best hopes for early detection, and yet only 40% of women follow these simple guidelines.

Since 1960, more than 95,000 U.S. women have died from breast cancer, and, at present, an estimated 1.6 million women are living with a diagnosis of breast cancer. It is a disease for which every woman is at risk, and the number of younger women developing breast cancer is rising.

Breast cancer is a disease, not only of the body, but of the soul. Its impact on the patient and her family is immense. Women and their families need tremendous support to help cope with this relentless killer.

Research into the cause of breast cancer is ongoing, as is work in new treatments and studies into possible genetic predisposition. While these efforts continue, we must strive for better education and more awareness of this disease. We must stress breast self-exam and mammography to our colleagues, our friends, and our families. At present, early detection remains the single most important factor in increasing survival rate, and, even though these methods are not foolproof or guaranteed, they are what can save lives at this time.

The Kicks Against Breast Cancer tournament recently held to help support Howard County General Hospital's Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource and Image Center is just the beginning of our efforts to fight back. As the spouse of a breast cancer victim, I am reminded of the movie line "Don't get mad, get even." I am sure, with time and adequate resources, we will start winning the battle against breast cancer. Although the hope is to prevent it completely, we certainly can, with education, awareness, and more effective treatments, start decreasing the death rate from this dreaded killer of women.