Many women with breast cancer are being massively overtreated. Thanks
to advances in genomic testing and deeper insights into the biology of
different kinds of breast cancer, doctors are learning that the
one-size-fits-all approach isn’t working. They’re also learning that
every woman brings with her a unique profile of biological risk, as well
as a unique appetite for risk. That means that while some women require
urgent and aggressive treatment, there are many who can slow down and
take a more sparing approach.
Now those at the vanguard of breast-cancer treatment are calling for a
major shift in the way doctors treat, and talk about the disease, from
the first few millimeters of suspicious-looking cells in milk ducts to
the invasive masses found outside of them. That’s making the tough
conversations between a woman and her cancer doctor ever harder, but it
also stands to make them more fruitful.
Because as good as we have gotten at finding breast cancer,and we’ve
gotten very good, all this new data suggests there may be better ways to
treat some breast cancers, particularly those at the early stages.
“As a surgeon, to say we shouldn’t be operating as much as we are is a
very big deal,” says Dr. Mehra Golshan, a surgical oncologist at the
Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center. “And that’s what I’m
saying.”
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