The new year and a new decade is on its way! Seems like I've barely gotten used to writing "2009" on checks and letters, and here we are - ready to bid it goodbye. I think we may have a lot to look forward to in 2010. Research is producing less invasive surgical techniques such as laser ablation for fibroadenomas, new drugs for Triple Negative Breast Cancer called PARP inhibitors, and drugs will be delivered with nanoparticle technology that seeks out and destroys tumor cells without harming healthy tissue. Ten years ago, these things may have seemed like a dream.
Cancer treatments may move more in the direction of personalized medicine, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. My hope is that diseases such as breast cancer will be caught at very early stages, then accurately imaged and genetically tested to see what fuels the tumor - and exactly which therapies will kill it, with the least harm to the patient.
It would be great to see a new technology developed for breast cancer screening that does not involve compression and radiation, but we will not give up mammograms until a safe and widely available means has been found. For that matter, despite the recent controversy about breast screening guidelines, many women will refuse to give up their monthly breast self exams (BSE). So many women find their own breast lumps with BSE that dropping this important and cost-free screening seems laughable.
But I really want - along with The Cure - is more research on prevention of breast cancer. Wouldn't it be great if every person could have a health analysis done, and a risk summary given to them, along with a prevention plan? Such a plan might include an anti-cancer diet, recommendations for exercise, environmental detoxification ideas, and suggestions for achieving mental and spiritual balance aimed at lowering stress levels. I really try to practice what I preach on this site: make healthy lifestyle and diet choices, get exercise, have regular screenings, keep my weight down. That said, I am far from perfect - but I do hate cancer - and plan on doing all I can to prevent it's return.
This holiday season, I spent time visiting lots of people in my hometown - many of which I hadn't connected with in a long time. We cooked, laughed, swapped gifts, had meals, and talked over old times. I felt so happy to be alive to enjoy those moments! Every day that I am further away from my own cancer diagnosis is a wonderful gift. However you spend these remaining days of the decade, I wish for you good relationships, personal peace and wisdom, and the best of health for the coming years!
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