Expert talks on breast cancer early detection

Philip Strax, who studied 62,000 women and found early detection of breast cancer can greatly improve chances for remission, discussed characteristics that lead to breast cancer and methods of early detection Thursday night at Logan Hall. The radiologist told the crowd of over 100 that researchers originally felt that early detection had no effect on the women involved. But Strax believed otherwise, and spent 18 years tracking 62,000 women to prove his theory. Strax's study showed that early detection can greatly improve chances for a cure. He found that 30 percent fewer deaths occurred among those women who were examined consistently. Both X-rays and self-examinations can be effective methods for early detection, Strax said. "All we have is the knowledge that we can find [the cancer] in women who seem well . . . but there is one problem, how do we get the women to come [to be examined]?" Strax asked. "That's the value of self-examination." Strax said that smoking and heredity play a role in the development of breast cancer, but that most of the women who have had breast cancer do not fall under one of the "high-risk" categories. Strax began his speech by saying that early evidence of breast cancer is reflected in ancient Egyptian and Roman artifacts. However, in recent years, the number of cases has increased significantly -- today, one out of nine women develop breast cancer, Strax said. A film on self-examination followed Strax's speech. The film, produced by the American Cancer Society, emphasized the importance of self-examinations for early detection of breast cancer. It stated that "most changes do not mean cancer, but they do mean a visit to your doctor." During a question and answer period students asked about precautions for women with family histories of breast cancer, chances of recurrence in women who have been cured, and detection of the disease in young women. Speech organizer Jill Hammer presented Strax with a check for $1225 raised from raffle ticket sales by co-sponsors Panhellenic Council and Bicultural InterGreek Council sororities. The money will used for a non-profit breast cancer diagnostic clinic. College senior Meryl Degen said she felt this "should be the first of many" programs because it "raised awareness of a scary issue confronting women." Maureen Hernandez, president of the Panhellenic Council, said that it is "very important that we take care of this issue." Hammer, a College junior, felt that "people were definitely interested, and that was a definite plus."

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