“By 2040, it has been anticipated that there will be more than 3 million new instances of breast cancer each year with more than 1 million annual deaths.” This is just one of the alarming facts stated in the study. Today, we are going to dive into the new advancements and technology for breast cancer treatments and even get some insight from Amber Meyer, a breast cancer survivor who was kindly able to share some of her experiences from her fight with cancer. As we start off, we are going to see how Amber went about treatment options and what she was able to do during her battle.
Throughout history, there have been many different “possible” treatments used for breast cancer, and each is very taxing for the patient. According to the study, even with the treatment trials, 1 million out of 3 million diagnosed die from this type of cancer each year (Ye et al., 2023). One of the most common treatments in recent years has been the simple mastectomy or lumpectomy, where they take out the mass or breast as a whole (Bou-Dargham, 2021). The uses of immunotherapies and targeted therapies have been used for the protocol after the surgeries. Amber Meyer said, “I chose to have a Bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction, which took a total of 4 surgeries” (Meyer, 2024) Her story shows how exposure to certain genetic traits and hormones can lead to breast cancer (Barot et al., 2023).
Amber generously shared her breast cancer story in an interview. She said, “ I had my 1st mammogram at the age of 32 because I have a family history of BC on my mother’s side. I lost my mother at age 51 and grandmother at age 93 to breast cancer. I continued with a diagnostic protocol every two years. At the time of my diagnosis at age 40, I had genetic testing done. I did not have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene. In recent years, they have added more genetic testing to a basic panel I had done in 2011 that included 12 markers to 60 markers. I did have the additional genetic testing done. The results gave me genetic information that would be beneficial for my children. I still have diagnostic images done on a routine schedule and continue to try to maintain a healthy diet, exercise, and limit alcohol intake” (Meyer, 2024).
Using immunotherapies and target therapies has most recently shown great success in reducing the mass, clearing the mass, or keeping the cancer from coming back. Immunotherapy drugs have changed and become varied over the years. While “breast cancer is not typically a highly immunogenic disease, strategies to modulate the immune system are being tested in clinical settings” (Ye et al., 2023). This shows that immunotherapies are usually used to keep cancer at bay and train the immune system to block threatening cancer cells. (Sugie et al., 2021). The immunotherapy drug Amber Meyer used was called Tamoxifen. She said, “I was put on Tamoxifen. A selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) to reduce the risk of recurrence and or spread of the cancer. I was on the protocol for eight years. In basic terms, it's an estrogen hormone blocker to prevent cancer from spreading or recurring” (Meyer, 2024). By using this, she has so far been successful in being cancer-free, and according to Meyer, this immunotherapy drug is being used for newer cancer treatment in patients today.
The newer targeted therapies have been shown to show some success in drug form. By sending targeted proteins into the system to break down the cancer cells, this has been an efficient drug for fighting breast cancer in the process. These hormones and proteins not only break down the cancer cell but also give hormones to the immune system so the body can fight itself (Ye et al., 2024).
These therapies have shown great improvement in treating breast cancer and keeping it from returning. Hopefully, with more research, this will go towards a more permanent and less painful cure for breast cancer and could possibly create a cure for other leading cancers.
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