Don't Panic!

From time to time I will notice an article dealing with cancer treatments that I will pass along to my wife and alarm us but I have to remind myself that you have to give way to treatments that improve the percentages of recovery and no re-occurrence.

For instance I came across this article in March about a recent study on radiation therapy for breast cancer patients and a negative side effect:

By Marilynn Marchione

Associated Press

Published: Wednesday, March 13 2013 9:18 p.m. MDT

Women treated with radiation for breast cancer are more likely to develop heart problems later, even with the lower doses used today, troubling new research suggests. The risk comes from any amount of radiation, starts five years after treatment and lasts for decades, doctors found.

Patients shouldn't panic — radiation has improved cancer survival, and that is the top priority, doctors say.

For example, 4 to 5 of every 100 women who are 50 years old and free of heart risks will develop a major cardiac problem by age 80, and radiation treatment would add one more case, the research suggests.

In all of the studies we read it was a discussed side effect so we knew about the risks. However I'm confident that the medical re-search field will continue to develop laser treatments that will do less damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

The study "will raise the antenna" about the need to do more to prevent this, said Dr. David Slosky, a cardiologist at Vanderbilt University, one of the growing number of medical centers with special "cardio-oncology" programs for cancer survivors.

With today's lower radiation doses, "it is less of a problem, but it is not going away," he said.

The risks to radiation therapy may not go way entirely but it has come along way and will only get better!