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Role of the physician in the diagnosis of breast cancer
Author(s) -
Gray Laman A.
Publication year - 1969
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(196912)24:6<1183::aid-cncr2820240618>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - medicine , seriousness , breast cancer , disease , cancer , biopsy , intensive care medicine , obligation , health care , general surgery , political science , law , economics , economic growth
The physician is becoming increasingly aware of the seriousness of cancer of the breast as a widespread and frequent cause of death from malignant disease in women. He is aware that early diagnosis is the only possible method of aiding in cure at this time; that only biopsy can determine the very early diagnosis; and that great care is necessary to separate those cases which need biopsy. Patients discover most carcinomas of the breast themselves. For this reason, continuous education and encouragement in this area is necessary. The physician's leadership is of great importance. The physician realizes that the patient should have routine health examinations and is urging his patients in this direction. He is awaiting new and radically different methods to diagnose and treat breast cancer. He is interested in viral studies, immunologic detection, chemical diagnostic methods, new chemicals which alter growth, hormone relationships, and in methods of increasing host resistance and decreasing malignant characteristics of the individual tumor. Most of all, he is awaiting a preventive of this disease. Until the answers are available, the obligation continues to increase in the detection of early cancer of the breast and to provide the most effective treatment for this lethal disease.