New Approach to Breast Cancer Treatment Nears

Technology being developed today will individualize breast cancer treatment in the future, an improvement over the current blanket approach, says Dr. C. Kent Osborne, director of the Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine.

"In the next 10 years, I think we will see a major change in the way we approach breast cancer. We're beginning to be able to identify the molecular fingerprint of each patient's individual tumor," says Dr. Osborne, also co-director of the recent San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The annual conference, attended by more than 3,000 specialists from 52 countries, gives scientists and physicians of all disciplines an opportunity to exchange information and the latest in research.

Breast cancer death rates have declined on average 1.7 percent per year since 1989, according to the National Cancer Institute. Each breast cancer is different, Dr. Osborne says. As researchers become able to learn more about the genetic makeup of each tumor, they will be better able to target the problem areas for treatment. Dr. Osborne notes that scientists have been investigating one gene at a time, such as the estrogen receptor and the HER-2 oncogene. Therapies have been developed and are constantly being updated to deal with known genetic alterations that cause breast cancer. "In the near future, because of new technologies that are now being perfected, we might be able to measure many thousands of genes in a patient's tumor at the same time. So, instead of looking for three or four or five things, we'll be able to look at thousands," he says. This type of information will lead to improvement in prevention strategies, earlier diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

The declines in the mortality rates from breast cancer in the past 10 years can be attributed to the chemotherapy and drug therapies that began in the early 1970s, Dr. Osborne says. "In the next couple of years, we'll see further reductions as the benefits of widespread mammograms start to play a role," says Dr. Osborne. Mammograms did not become a routine part of health care until the mid- to late-1980s. Dr. Osborne says lifestyle changes and the expanded use of prevention drugs from studies now in progress will lead to even fewer deaths in the following few years. The individualized approach to breast cancer treatment will add to the decline.

- LORI WILLIAMS

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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