Breast Cancer

Freezing Treatment Fights Cancer

Cryosurgery, a treatment that freezes tissue and has been used for years to "burn" off warts and other skin growths, has now been tested successfully in a small number of breast cancer cases. Researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago, with the aid of ultrasound pictures, eliminated small breast cancer tumors after freezing them for seven­and-one-half minutes each. Three months later, the tumors had not returned. While long-term follow-up is certainly required before the procedure can be termed a cure, this experimental treatment is nonetheless exciting for breast cancer patients.

Go Fish!

Oncologists believe that omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils may offer protection against breast and other types of cancer by reducing the production of some hormones. Although there are numerous beneficial fish-oil capsules on the market, physicians do suggest eating fish at least twice a week. Good choices include salmon, tuna, whitefish and anchovies.

Don't Go It Alone

For women living with breast cancer, group therapy has been shown to be a crucial component of treatment. According to the researchers, women with advanced breast cancer who attended group therapy sessions with other patients lived 18 months longer than those who did not incorporate psychotherapy into their treatment. Ask your doctor about groups and therapists that may be able to help you.

Advanced Cases

Alternatives in Drug Therapy

Taxol, a drug derived from the Pacific yew tree, has been one of the most exciting drugs to fight advanced cases of cancer in the past decade. Officially known as paclitaxel, this chemotherapy is expensive as well as rare and often effective.

Taxol is not to be confused with tamoxifen, however, which is a first-line hormone therapy often used in premenopausal patients. Tamoxifen has also gained favor as a preventative drug; Taxol treatment follows diagnoses of cancer.

Current guidelines recommend Taxol for patients who have advanced breast and ovarian cancer. Ask your doctor or oncologist if it is appropriate in your case.