Posted Monday, October 1, 2007
Outcomes vary widely for individual patients...
The number of deaths due to metastatic breast cancer is slowly decreasing in the USA, a trend generally attributed to broad screening with breast examination and mammography along with standardized treatment approaches for early stage disease. However, the absolute decrease in annual deaths measured over the past 15 years is relatively modest and we still suffer about 110 deaths from this disease each and every day. These deaths occur because once breast cancer is detected beyond the breast and lymph nodes it is typically incurable and develops resistance to any and all known therapies. At the same time it is very important to recognize that outcomes vary widely for individual patients. In the past few years there has been a remarkable increase in our understanding of the molecular biology of breast cancers in the laboratory perhaps providing a partial explanation for some of the clinical variations we see but also opening many new avenues for clinical research. Translating these laboratory advances into meaningful clinical improvements is complex because it involves careful selection of appropriate patients, identification of active drugs, rapid accrual of clinical trials, and efficient sharing of research results. All of this requires a robust research infrastructure but unfortunately, this need for increased investment has coincided with a period of relatively decreased public funding for cancer clinical trials. While my personal research is focused on the development of a range of specific treatments based on interesting observations made in the laboraties of collaborating scientists, I am at the same time dedicated to raising resources for investigators everywhere working to improve outcomes for patients with metastatic breast cancer, and increasing public and professional awareness of the opportunities and challenges before us through education and outreach.
More about Dr. Clifford Hudis »
[ return to top ]
|
