| > | | | | to me," she said. |
| From the desk of Dr Magne, author of Cancer Free | | | | Gralow said it's "becoming increasingly more common |
| For Life | | | | that women with metastatic breast cancer are living |
| Ann Bisgyer Wolz was 38 when breast cancer came | | | | longer, and we have lots of good treatment choices |
| into her life. | | | | that can be used." |
| Two lumpectomies, chemotherapy, radiation, two | | | | No matter where breast cancer turns up in the body, |
| mastectomies, skin transplants, tumor surgery, more | | | | if its growth is fueled by estrogen, women have a |
| radiation and 14 years later, she's still going strong. | | | | better chance of longer survival -- and a shot at |
| She's been on a new generation of drugs -- drugs | | | | controlling the cancer with a battery of anti-estrogen |
| that seem to work for about a year before cancer | | | | drugs instead of needing harsher chemotherapy, at |
| reappears. When it does, she does a round of | | | | least right away.a patient who had liver metastases |
| chemotherapy or radiation, and switches to another | | | | from breast cancer diagnosed in the early 1990s is |
| drug. | | | | still doing great. Liver metastases are generally much |
| "Things have changed. Cancer isn't a kiss of death. | | | | more life-threatening than bone metastases. Patients |
| You live a good life, with a good quality of life. It's | | | | who have lived with bone metastases for 10 to 12 |
| not to say it's not scary, and yes, I'll probably die of | | | | years, having never needed chemo. Their disease is |
| this disease, but my husband and I have tried to | | | | being managed with anti-estrogen therapy that has |
| keep a balance with it. Nobody has any guarantees," | | | | few side effects. |
| Wolz said. | | | | Almost 213,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with |
| Once breast cancer returns to spread beyond the | | | | breast cancer this year, and almost 41,000 will die, |
| breast, ut it can be held in check, sometimes for | | | | according to the American Cancer Society. The vast |
| years, depending on how aggressive the tumor | | | | majority survive. There are now alternative and |
| proves to be. "I have a really good quality of life. I've | | | | non-invasive therapies that are having immense |
| worked hard to maintain it through all the | | | | results with breast cancer survival. These therapies |
| recurrences," Wolz said. | | | | are natural and don’t involve dangerous drugs |
| Her husband and family tell her not to work so much, | | | | that attack the immune system and cause more |
| but it's important to her to keep her hands-on | | | | damage in the long-term. It is now possible to |
| approach to business. She sees quitting work as | | | | approach the healing of cancer from a |
| letting cancer win. And when she's not working, she's | | | | psycho-therapeutic point and get huge survival rates. |
| not sitting around. "Life is precious and I'm not going | | | | Chemo and radiation are no longer the only options. |
| to waste my time doing things that aren't important | | | | |