Deadly disparity in cancer detection

Dr. Syed Ashraf Imam


When I first joined the fight against breast cancer nearly 30 years ago, the tools we used were primitive. Mammography was very much in an experimental form and our diagnoses were often flawed. Even the treatments we used then seem primitive by today's standards.

Fortunately, for most women, breast cancer is no longer a death sentence. Improvements in detection, treatment, education and our understanding of the disease have allowed us to take great leaps forward to eradicating it. However, those of us in the field are reminded every day that we are not there yet. In California alone, nearly 20,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer per year. And more than 4,000 women die from the disease.

complete article at Pasadena Star News