Source: China Daily

03-23-2009 16:25

WEDNESDAY, March 18 -- Early detection of second breast cancers can reduce the risk of death by as much as half, according to an international study.

Early detection of second breast cancers can reduce the risk of death by as much as half, according to an international study.

The researchers looked at information on 1,044 women who were seen at a medical center in Florence, Italy, between 1980 and 2005 and who had developed a second breast cancer -- 455 with cancer in the same breast (ipsilateral) and 589 with cancer in the opposite breast (contralateral). Of the second breast cancers, 67 percent were asymptomatic, and 33 percent were symptomatic.

The study found that chances of survival improved between 27 percent and 47 percent if the second breast cancer was detected in the early, asymptomatic stage rather than at a later stage when women started to experience symptoms.

The researchers also found that mammography was more sensitive than clinical examination for detecting second breast cancers -- 86 percent vs. 57 percent. However, 14 percent of the cancers were detected only by clinical examination.

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