EARLY DETECTION CRITICAL FOR PREVENTION OF BREAST CANCER

When it comes to cancer, early detection can make the difference between life and death. The five-year survival rate for localized breast cancer is 93 percent. If the cancer has spread, the chance of survival plummets.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Women should pursue a regimen of monthly self-exams and mammograms to improve the odds.

The numbers demand our attention.

One in nine women will develop breast cancer by age 85. An estimated 182,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 1993. Breast cancer is not exclusive to women; an estimated 1,000 men will be afflicted this year.

These life-threatening illnesses often grind our lives to a stop. But through illness many patients learn a wise perspective -- don't sweat the small stuff. Many of these people live life one day at a time, trying to savor every minute. It's a perspective many should consider. Too often we're bogged down by hassles at work or problems at school -- and we tend to forget how to enjoy our family and friends, and really celebrate life. Many times we don't realize what we're missing out on until it's gone. It's a lesson these cancer patients can teach us all.

The patients who have "beat" cancer will also stress the need for early detection. Mammography is an X-ray of the breast used by doctors to detect breast cancer early. The exam can reveal the presence of small cancers up to two years before they can be felt.

The risk of breast cancer increases with age. As such, women in their 40s should add mammograms to a health routine that includes monthly self exams and annual physician exams. Women between the age of 40 and 49 are urged to have a mammogram every one or two years; those over age 50 should have a mammogram each year.

Oftentimes, the risks of breast cancer are increased if other family members are afflicted. That, too, should be kept in mind for frequency of an exam.

For cancer victims, support by family, friends and acquaintances remains essential. Having someone who cares can really make all the difference.

Breast cancer survivors also band together through the American Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery program. The volunteers, who have been cancer-free, visit women hospitalized with breast cancer. The volunteers know exactly what these women are going through. That kind of understanding and empathy can replace despair with hope. Support groups for breast cancer patients are also active at both Southeast Missouri Hospital and St. Francis Medical Center.

Those women who want to be on the cutting edge of breast cancer research can also participate in a national study of a new drug. Researchers at the St. Louis-Cape Girardeau Community Oncology Program have enrolled about 9,000 women, just over half the women needed to complete the study. About 25 of these women are from the Cape Girardeau area. In all, about 50,000 women will be evaluated across the U.S. and Canada as part of this trial.

This breast cancer prevention trial began in June 1991, and is designed to see if taking the drug tamoxifen will prevent breast cancer. It is the first large-scale breast cancer prevention trial in the world, say researchers. The trial is open to women ages 35 to 78 who are at risk for developing breast cancer.

Oct. 19 is National Mammography Day. It's a good reminder about the dangers of breast cancer and the difference early detection can make. The life you save could be your own.