Breast cancer study could change how early growths are treated

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Photo: VOAA researcher studying breast cancer

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This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

Have you ever felt lumps under the skin on the sides of your neck when you were sick? Those might be lymph nodes. They can get swollen and painful but their job is to fight infection. Lymph nodes are part of the body's defenses known as the lymphatic system.

This complex system throughout the body makes and transports a protective fluid called lymph. Lymph is made of white blood cells, proteins and fats.

In a patient with breast cancer, the cancer can spread to the large number of lymph nodes under the arm. Doctors have traditionally removed many of these lymph nodes in the hope of removing all the cancer.

But the latest research finds nothing to gain by removing so many lymph nodes.

Doctors have two choices when breast cancer starts to spread. They can do what is called a sentinel node biopsy. They remove the main growth and one or two lymph nodes nearest to it.

Or they can take more aggressive action and remove a lot of lymph nodes. But that can lead to shoulder pain and permanent swelling of the arm.

Dr. Armando Giuiliano at the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, California, was a leader of the study. He found that a sentinel node biopsy can be enough to eliminate all of the cancer. And the patient does not need to stay in a hospital to have it done.

Dr. Giuliano and researchers at other American cancer centers studied almost nine hundred breast cancer patients. In each case, the cancer had spread to no more than two lymph nodes.

Half of the women had the traditional surgery. Doctors removed an average of seventeen lymph nodes. The other half had the simpler operation with just one or two nodes removed. Then both groups received radiation treatment and chemotherapy drugs.

Doctor Giuliano says rates of survival five years later showed that the less invasive operation was just as successful as the more aggressive action.

ARMANDO GIULIANO: "The five-year survival was about ninety-two percent regardless of which operation. And, wonderfully, women who had the sentinel node biopsy alone did just as well as the women who had the more radical operation."

The study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Some experts say the findings could change the way surgeons treat early breast cancers that have spread to the lymph nodes. But other doctors say they want more proof before they make a change.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report. You can get more health news along with transcripts and MP3s of our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. And we invite you to visit the all-new mobile version of our site on your phone or other device. I'm Pat Bodnar.

___

Contributing: Carol Pearson

Listen? Email? Print? Comments?Comments (34)23-03-2011(china)

Thank you very much.

23-03-2011Emily(China)

At least, it is a good news for some group.

23-03-2011Winsor

Thanks you, and a friend of mine volunteer at Beast Cancer center in florida.

23-03-2011Talat(Pakistan)

v.good information u have shared with us..! :) keep up da good work...!thanks

23-03-2011nancy(Turkey)

I hope ?t will be nice in future devolopments. But The women of education must be very good in this regard.Because this disease is identified early can be life saving.

23-03-2011Nancy(Japan)

A lot of women are suffering from breast cancer . I hope the research can help many patients.However, it must be considered carefully to change the medical method .

23-03-2011drac(China)

Researchers are great they devote much time and spirit energy to the research and great career, they are the most lovely.

23-03-2011old oak(Brazil)

The article has important information for everyone. Thank you VOA!

23-03-2011Maki(Japan)

It's incredible that only removing only one or two lymph nodes could save lives of breast cancer. But without removing those bad structures, there's some doubt whether we can recover in the future, so we need to make a big decision in front of two choices. If I was a cancer patient, I would be at a loss how I am treated. There are many patients of breast cancer in Japan. It might relate to me in the future.

24-03-2011

very sweet voice!!excellent narrator thanks VOA

24-03-2011after sunday(China)

that is a good news

24-03-2011kiko(Japan)

I don't know detail of a sentinel node biopsy. So I can't understand this report correctly. I need more information on it.

24-03-2011JOE(china)

keep going,what your have done will changes the whole word

24-03-2011GEORGE(GEORGIA)

VOA You are doing a great job!!! THANK YOU for broadening of peoples intelligence.

24-03-2011Aliyu Kinkilo Shabu(Nasarawa State, Nigeria)

Dr. Armando Giuliano among other researchers we appreciate your hardworks and concerns towards patience in the whole world on how to cure cancer in the easiest way. But how to prevent from it? is not stated.

25-03-2011zoe(china)

I like this article,it will acompany me everyday

26-03-2011Sendy(CHN)

It is good news for the patient who are suffering from the breast cancer.

26-03-2011koji(JPN)

That's good. I think sentinel node concept can improve QOL.

27-03-2011Guleke(Kazakhstan)

Thank you VOA, it's very important information for everyone

27-03-2011Susumu(Japan)

My mother suffer from brest cancer. I hate the desease, She got the operation which removed the one of the breast.

28-03-2011Fish(China)

This is good news for some people.Hope human being can do well with cancer in the future.

28-03-2011Esmeralda(korea)

I'm student, so i have to study hard ??. I often felt lumps under the skin on the sides of my neck. This is good news for me!! Thank you, VOA? :)

28-03-2011Yoouu(South korea)

Thank you for good news about health

28-03-2011vincent(China)

thank for VOA 'S Reader , not only you give our chance for studying ,but also give our chance for understanding knowledge of health.

29-03-2011Ashin Zawtika(Myanmar)

Like that.

29-03-2011Cam Tu(Vietnam)

nvasive breast cancer can spread through the lymph ducts and blood vessels to other areas of the body. The sentinel lymph node is the first lymph node that the lymph ducts drain into. Whether or not the cancer has spread to the sentinel lymph node indicates whether the cancer has started to spread beyond the breast. A new technique called sentinel lymph node biopsy identifies this lymph node, and allows only this lymph node to be removed.

29-03-2011Fazel(Iran)

Thank you for your program.My aunt passed away recently because of this disease.surgeons treated her by surgery by nothing gained. and after three years of living in hospital and doing chemotherapy she died.

29-03-2011aly abdelrazek(egypt)

i am an engineer and i don't understand the meaning of "sentinel node biopsy" but generally i think that the leader of the researchers found that it can save a lot of removing of the lymph nodes and the patient get early from hospital. thanks for voa

30-03-2011zeke(china)

thank you

30-03-2011marli riepe(BRAZIL)

I HOPE THIS IS THE GEGINING OF A GREAT RESEARCH IN THE BREAST CANCER TREATMENT AND THAT ALL SURGEON S KAN DOUBTLESS ACCEPT THIS TREATMENT AND THE WOMANS SUFFERING TO DECREASE. THANKS VOA, THANKS PAT BODNAR

31-03-2011Richard(China)

I do not really understand the "Sentinel node biopsy". If the cancer has spread to other lymph nodes, they have to be removed.

01-04-2011Sok Chamroeurn(Cambodia)

My aunt has breast cancer being treated bychemotherapy drugs.Doctors said they are going to remove one of her breast. I pray for all the cancer patients

02-04-2011M .Niazi(Afghanistan)

zillion thanks from VOA colleagues all of people withing one day cancer patents cure them disease .

03-04-2011Ahmet(Turkey)

I can imagine that it is really difficult decision for doctors and patients to prefer the appropriate operation. I hope that the researchers extends their study and get people to be wealthy with the best invasive method.

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