From the measures to stay one step ahead of a potential diagnosis to treating the disease post-diagnosis, the breast cancer landscape has improved leaps and bounds in our lifetime. As a singular example, through history and up until the late 20th century, discovering breast cancer often entailed incredibly invasive, exploratory surgery to seek out a small amount of tissue for cancer testing.
And now, here in 2018, we live in a world with minimally invasive techniques, targeted therapies, promising clinical trials and growing knowledge of what may affect various types of breast cancer.
Amid the improvements, many Americans and their loved ones are still having to endure the pain of a breast cancer diagnosis. In Nevada alone, according to the American Cancer Society, approximately 2,180 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year. This figure is up slightly from a projection of 2,010 new cases in 2017.
So, what do you need to know about breast cancer in 2018?
Thinking about the ketogenic diet? Opt for a Mediterranean diet instead.
A breast cancer diagnosis can lead patients to feel emotional, angry and, in many instances, scared. Patients will look for a fix and there are entities out there that play on that vulnerability.
Fad diets can be especially concerning. One that has made headlines recently is the ketogenic diet for breast cancer patients. A ketogenic diet is a low-carb and high-fat diet, essentially requiring your body to use ketone bodies for fuel instead of sugar. In some cases, this diet has been billed as a way of starving cancer cells, since they typically feed on glucose.
In reality, there is no proven benefit of this diet for breast cancer patients.
In lieu of this fad, a Mediterranean diet is always a safe option — recommended as a healthy, Mediterranean-style eating pattern by USDA guidelines. This diet type is loaded with fresh veggies and fruits, fish, chicken, whole grains, spices with their associated antioxidants benefits, low-fat dairy, nuts and seeds and healthy oil, such as olive oil. Several studies have shown that this diet leads to a decrease in the chances of a chronic illnesses, cancer, diabetes and heart diseases as well as cancers. And, as always, avoid processed meats, refined sugars, saturated fat and keep alcohol consumption to a minimum.
The staging of breast cancer has changed.
Effective January 2018, the way patients’ breast cancer is staged has been updated, based on the American Joint Committee on Cancer’s system (8th Edition). Whereas clinicians previously used lymph nodes, tumor size and metastasized locations to assess a cancer’s stage, now the driving force behind cancer growth, its biology and genomics are taken into consideration, painting a more accurate picture.
Example: Does this cancer grow on hormones? And, if it does, then it has a better prognosis and is down-staged compared to the old staging system.
Start screening at age 40.
The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force says an annual mammography should begin at age 50. The American Cancer Society says 45. And, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network says 40.
I recommend 40 years old to start this routine. Mammogram technology has improved drastically in recent times, including digital tomosynthesis, making it easier to see through dense breast tissue. The sooner and smaller you can catch the cancer, the better and the more curable it is.