Is the Race for a Cure Nearing the Finish Line?
Oct. 30, 2000 — As one million runners approach finish lines in 107 U.S. cities and two foreign countries this month as part of the Komen Race for the Cure, a series of 5K runs/walks to promote breast cancer awareness, leading breast cancer experts tell WebMD that science is closing in on new treatments. However, a “cure” still remains elusive. From predicting risk and preventing the disease to treating it with vaccines, new drugs, new uses of existing drugs, and biologically based therapies, research has made some impressive strides in recent years. In fact, beginning about 10 years ago, death rates began to decline an average of 1.8% per year. Much of the reduction in death is thought to be due to improved and earlier detection and treatment. “Certainly, the best news of all is that mortality is finally going down,” says Barron Lerner, MD, PhD, an associate professor of medicine and medical historian at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. “For so many years, so
