| At present rate it is estimated that more than 40% | | | | for it. Better treatment over the last decade has |
| of the population in America and industrialized world | | | | slashed breast cancer death rates in the United |
| will develop some form of cancer in their life time. | | | | States and Britain drastically. Early detection and |
| This epidemic could swamp the health care system | | | | diagnosis is the key to effective treatment. This |
| and cause colossal loss. Breast cancer is the second | | | | disease can be treated with easy when tumors are |
| leading cause of death in women. Every year more | | | | small at initial stages. |
| than 250,000 women are diagnosed with this cancer. | | | | A woman's chances of surviving depend on early |
| Though in many cases state will fund the cost of | | | | diagnosis and treatment Today a range of treatment |
| diagnosis and detection treatment costs can quickly | | | | procedures, each with specific benefits and risks, |
| run up to $200,000. | | | | exists for breast cancer. The choice treatment in an |
| Breast cancer is an ancient disease. Descriptions of it | | | | individual case frequently may depend on several |
| existed as early as 3000 B.C., and Spanish and Italian | | | | factors, such as the different stages and kinds of |
| surgeons wrote accounts of mastectomies in the | | | | the ailment, tumor location, the patient's medical |
| 1500s. However effective treatment of this disease | | | | history, menopause status and age. The |
| is a modern day achievement. The first real advance | | | | chemotherapy and hormone treatments commonly |
| occurred when a Baltimore surgeon named William | | | | given after surgery to women with breast cancer |
| Hallstead explained his ideas on how the disease | | | | are much more effective in prolonging life than |
| progressed and proposed a new surgical treatment | | | | previously believed. |