Advances in Cancer Detection; September 1996; Scientific American Magazine; by Sidransky; sidebar by Stix; 6 Page(s)

Awoman walks into a doctor¿s office after having felt a lump in her breast. The doctor feels the mass and an all too familiar story ensues. A biopsy confirms a diagnosis of breast cancer. Surgery and perhaps radiation or chemotherapy are prescribed. This scenario frequently results in a poor outcome simply because the tumor is found only after symptoms appear.

Many people have come to know the early symptoms of cancer through the American Cancer Society¿s self-screening guidelines. But by the time symptoms occur--usually pain or bleeding from an organ or a noticeable mass or lump--many tumors have already grown quite large. Despite aggressive surgery to remove the tumor, many advanced cancers recur or have metastasized and may end a patient¿s life. Tumors that are small, in contrast, are less apt to have spread and more likely to be eradicated.