Breast Cancer: What Betty, Nancy And Now Elizabeth Have Taught US

See update below.

Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth today announced that her breast cancer has returned and spread, or metastasized, to her bones. While most media outlets considered the political implications of such news, it's important to consider the human consequences as well.

Elizabeth Edwards, 57, has Stage IV breast cancer. The average five-year survival rate in such cases is 7 per cent, according to the main cancer database at the National Institutes of Health. That means that out of 100 women with Stage IV breast cancer who receive appropriate treatment, seven are still alive after five years.

NIH cancer statistics also show that half of all women being treated for Stage IV disease are still alive after 18 months.

Edwards first announced she had breast cancer in November 2004. She underwent chemotherapy, lumpectomy and radiation. Now, the cancer is back.

Nearly 25 years ago, when then First Lady Betty Ford first went public about her own breast cancer diagnosis, women didn't talk much in public about the disease. Now, breast cancer advocates are among the most effective at getting their message across.

Later, when then First Lady Nancy Reagan opted for surgery over minimally invasive treatment and radiation, she struck a blow for women to make their own decisions about what is the right kind of therapy for them.

Today and in the coming months, Elizabeth Edwards will be teaching a different lesson about breast cancer. May she, and her family, find the strength and the grace to move forward.

Update (March 22,2007): From the American Cancer Society: "The survival statistics on the American Cancer Society Web site and in Cancer Facts & Figures apply to a woman who presents initially with a stage IV breast cancer, not a woman who has a recurrence after primary treatment. The outlook for a woman who walks into the doctor's office with metastatic disease is significantly worse than for a woman, like Mrs Edwards, who presents initially with disease confined to the breast and adjacent lymph nodes. The survival statistic for patients who present with Stage IV disease has no meaning in Ms. Edwards' case, and should not be interpreted as a suggestion of her survival chances. There are no nationally validated statistics on survival when breast cancer recurs after primary treatment."