Another article... with a slightly better outlook

Not sure how I missed this one back in September, but here's a press release from MD Anderson: "MD Anderson study finds increases in 5-, 10-year survival at every stage of breast cancer". 

Funny story (totally unrelated) about MD Anderson... that only my ZS friends will truly appreciate.  While doing an alignment project back in 2001/2002, MD Anderson caused us so many headaches!  It kept falling out of the data set and as it is (obviously) a huge cancer center (little did my naive self know that at the time), we wound up doing rework all weekend long right before a big meeting.  I think I had memorized the DDD# for MD Anderson for years after that (I am sure it is still somewhere deep in my brain!)

Anyways, some points from the article:

Advances in screening for disease detection, better surgical techniques available to more women, and an increased number of therapies that reduce the risk of relapse in patients with both locally advanced and early stage disease, have collectively contributed to dramatic improvements in breast cancer's survival rates, according to a review of 60 years of patient records at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

From decade to decade, the researchers found an impressive increase in survival in all three stages of the disease, as well as overall survival:

Impressive increases and good news across local, regional and distant disease.  Better prognosis than the general stats that you see thrown around.  Still a bit sad that in 2010 we are just pulishing data through 2004, but I guess any progress is good progress, right?

The only thing I find disappointing in this article is the closing line:

"Now, we need to turn our attention to the refinement of breast cancer therapies, with a goal of further decreasing risk of recurrence and death for our high-risk early stage breast cancer patients, and maintaining the control of disease in those with metastatic disease," says Buzdar.

"Maintaining the control of disease" is great, but "finding a cure" would be even better.  I suppose I'll take it though... maintaining control is a good thing... if you can control it long enough, we just might find a CURE.