Breast Cancer Slideshow Pictures Take the Breast Cancer Quiz Disease Prevention in Women Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Breast Cancer Research

Research is ongoing to help clarify the precise causes of breast cancer and the cellular mechanism by which certain lifestyle factors cause development of cancer. A long-term ongoing study is looking at 50,000 women whose sisters had breast cancer and will collect information from these women over a period of 10 years. The influence of diet and lifestyle factors that may influence cancer development or progression is of particular interest to researchers.

Other types of research are directed at identification of additional cellular targets (such as the HER-2 protein) that may be useful for the development of new therapies for breast cancer. The development of new chemotherapy agents is being studied as well as the effectiveness of newer and different radiotherapy regimens.

Surgical therapies are also being improved and advances in surgical technique are being investigated to improve both surgical removal of breast cancers and breast reconstruction following tumor removal.