Oct 6, 2006 7:49 pm US/Central
More Options For Breast Cancer Caught Early
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer every two minutes, but the disease so many women fear is curable if caught early. All this month, CBS 11 is going to bring you stories of women, and even a man, who are successfully battling the disease. Here is our first story...
Judy and Robert Pippin's home has always been filled with music. Then, breast cancer introduced a jarring note. But the news still didn't shake the Pippin's faith. "It was invasive carcinoma," Mrs. Pippin says, "but it's small and I feel totally at peace about it. I just know it's going to be alright."
The tiny cancer couldn't be felt, but doctors found it anyway because Mrs. Pippin went in for her annual mammogram. "If somebody has to be diagnosed with a breast cancer, it's exactly how we want to see it done," says Dr. David Euhus of UT Southwestern.
Doctors say when breast cancer is caught early, patients have more treatment options. Plus, the treatments are likely to be less drastic than what is required for advanced cases. Many times, doctors are able to save a woman's breast when the cancer is caught early.
Mrs. Pippin's cancer was early Stage 1, and very small, less than a centimeter in diameter. She also had another suspicious spot of micro-calcifications that could have been pre-cancerous. Doctors inserted guide wires into the two areas. "The surgeon makes an incision and follows the wire down to the area where the abnormality is and then removes the area of the abnormality," explains Dr. Phil Evans of UT Southwestern. The cancers were small and localized, so doctors performed a lumpectomy, a minimal procedure that spares the breast. Mrs. Pippin was able to go home the same day she had her surgery.
The breast cancer experts at UT Southwestern credit the screening mammogram for Mrs. Pippin's excellent outcome.
"If you're over the age of 40, once a year go in, have the mammogram. If there's something there on the mammogram, that's great. It's better than skipping a year and having something that you can feel next year that's not going to be as manageable," explains Dr. Euhus.
Mrs. Pippin will undergo seven weeks of radiation therapy, then her cancer treatment will be done. She says she hopes other women will benefit from her experience. "If my going through this will help anyone else, that's going to make it worth it," said Mrs. Pippin.
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