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October is breast cancer awareness month. We all know this due to the efforts of many organizations. We fight for a cure, we run for a cause, we light the night, and we even sit in silence all because we care about something, or more often, someone. In October we wear our pink and show our support for those special people in our lives affected by breast cancer, and we are there for each and every one of them. They are more than numbers or statistics.

Because of our awareness, breast cancer has become one of the most sophisticated cancers treated. The diagnosis and treatment have become so technically advanced that it often seems a bit like science fiction, but it is very real. Imaging techniques are so advanced that when a suspicious lesion is found there is literally pinpoint guidance to lead the physician to a biopsy. The surgery for the cancer itself has become so precise that some women cannot tell surgery has even been performed.

The radiation techniques continue to focus on limiting radiation exposure while treating the cancer and limiting side effects. Molecular biology has provided oncologists with specific targets in and on breast cancer tumor cells so treatments are individualized for each patient. We know where exact genes are located on DNA to identify high risk patients even before a cancer occurs.

All of the advancements in breast cancer exist because of research; research that delves into the how and why of breast cancer. Clinical research involves patients actively affected with breast cancer who are willing to test newer treatments or treatment combinations compared to best available treatments. The West Clinic currently has 14 clinical cancer trials to offer patients specifically diagnosed with breast cancer. These clinical trials cover all breast cancer types from early stage to late stage, hormone sensitive or insensitive, and HER2-neu positive or negative. The West Clinic has always offered the most novel treatment options for patients in the Mid South and nearly all of the experimental compounds have gone on to be approved for general use, meaning The West Clinic patients receive the treatment before anyone else in the Mid South.

Over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year in the United States, but because of research they all have hope and the word ‘cure’ may actually be in their vocabulary. At The West Clinic we continue in our fight against breast cancer by leaving no stone unturned for each and every patient.



Presented in partnership with The West Clinic and Memphis Medical News
Celebrating 30 years on the front line of cancer care.
Past and present, we’re giving more people a future.
901.683.0055 www.westclinic.com

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