Understanding Cancer

Our understanding of cancer has changed quite a bit over the past century. Let me use breast cancer as an example. The breast surgeons of the early 20 th century believed that cancer would spread from the breast to the draining lymph nodes and only then go to the rest of the body. Thus the cancer could be stopped in its tracks by removing the entire breast, all the surrounding tissue and all forty lymph nodes, thus radical and mutilating surgery remained the mainstream of breast cancer management for nearly a century. Today, we understand that cancer is a total body disease, where cancer cells microscopically and invisibly invade blood vessels in the breast and gain access to the entire body. This understanding had led to two dramatic changes in treatment, first: surgery may be limited to as little or removing a breast lump and a single lymph node; second: nearly all patients with breast cancer receive some kind of total body treatment with anti-estrogen pills or chemotherapy after their surgery.

The bottom line – not only are women able to preserve their breast and be spared mutilating surgery – they are more often cured.

Bruce A. Feinberg, DO CEO/President of GCS (GA Cancer Specialists)