Breast Cancer is without a doubt one of the most heavily
battled forms of cancer in the world. For a long time breast cancer stood out
as a leading cause of death for many women. With early detection and a proper
treatment program, breast cancer began to take steps back. While breast cancer
was taking those backward steps, problems with radiation side effects as a
result of treatment and monitoring through imaging and other factors actually
arose.
Today breast cancer is a cause that many people have made
their own, because it has affected a loved one or because it has affected
people directly. So how can you deal with such a beast? Yes, there are various
forms of therapy and mammograms are the gold standard in order to aide in early
detection. When early detection is not an option because the cancer has been
discovered late, there is a need for greater involvement, so procedures are
undertaken.
A big procedure is the mastectomy, often times a last and
unwanted resort. Another procedure that’s proving to be effective is
brachytherapy. Brachytherapy is defined as “A procedure that involves placing
radioactive material inside your body.” At first this sounds pretty bad if you don’t understand
the implications of it. Currently there are strut brachytherapy applicators
that are yielding promising results.
This development is something promising in multiple regards.
With breast cancer still being a major issue in healthcare, another solution
outside of chemotherapy or a mastectomy is great to see. The fact that studies
have revealed this particular therapy and not cosmetically adverse, is a major
source of encouragement for patients. There are still some issues, like the
fact that the studies that were done dealt with early stage patients.
Some things to keep in mind about breast cancer are:
- Early detection is vital.
- Continuous monitoring is necessary.
- There are side effects to chemo.
- It’s important to explore all options.
While this development is not really a cure nor does it
solve the problem, it helps keep optimism up. There are still multiple options
and avenues yet to be discovered and fully explored. As time goes on there will
hopefully be an improvement in treatment options.
If you have any questions about diagnostic imaging procedures please feel free to give us a call. Our dedicated team of
professionals here at Clermont Radiology is always looking forward to answering
any questions that you may have.
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