There’s good news on the breast cancer front: According to a recent study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, death rates from breast cancer declined by 24 percent between 1990 and 2003. While researchers attribute this drop to both early detection and improved treatments, they also are examining whether fewer women are actually getting breast cancer.

Paula Silverman, MD
Breast Cancer Specialist

University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center



“Coping with the news of a breast cancer diagnosis can be very difficult and challenging,” says Paula Silverman, MD, breast cancer specialist at UH Seidman Cancer Center.

New Technology Improves Treatments
Thanks to a new technology called Oncotype DX®, doctors are now able to analyze each patient’s cancerous tissue to determine the best treatment plan. Oncotype DX, a diagnostic test that is performed on the tumor tissue, helps doctors assess the benefits of the chemotherapy and determine the likelihood of the cancer returning. “This test is revolutionary because we can tailor the treatment to the individual and, in some cases, avoid chemotherapy altogether,” says Dr. Silverman.

Dropping Cancer Rates
Epidemiological research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society (ACS) confirms that breast cancer rates have been dropping since 1999. Because this decline occurred after an 18-year period during which breast cancer rates increased by nearly 40 percent, this was electrifying news. But there is debate about the trends behind the statistics: Are fewer women developing breast cancer — or are fewer women having mammographies, which can detect the disease?

The spring 2007 New England Journal of Medicine noted an 8.6 percent drop in breast cancer diagnoses in women ages 50 and older between 2001 and 2004. Researchers noted that there was also a substantial drop in prescriptions for hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) for women in that age group. A second analysis by the ACS found that breast cancer cases had been declining since 1999 — years before the drop in HRT use. Health officials hunted for another explanation.

Dropping Cancer Rates
Epidemiological research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society (ACS) confirms that breast cancer rates have been dropping since 1999. Because this decline occurred after an 18-year period during which breast cancer rates increased by nearly 40 percent, this was electrifying news. But there is debate about the trends behind the statistics: Are fewer women developing breast cancer — or are fewer women having mammographies, which can detect the disease?
The spring 2007 New England Journal of Medicine noted an 8.6 percent drop in breast cancer diagnoses in women ages 50 and older between 2001 and 2004. Researchers noted that there was also a substantial drop in prescriptions for hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) for women in that age group. A second analysis by the ACS found that breast cancer cases had been declining since 1999 — years before the drop in HRT use. Health officials hunted for another explanation.