Breast cancer: A success story for women

For women, breast cancer is a huge success story; many survivors go on to lead long, happy, and sometimes even better lives following treatment. Two-thirds of patients with invasive breast cancer have a Stage I diagnosis, meaning that the 5-year relative survival rate in the Western world is close to 90%. This is in stark contrast to the lack of screening and outcomes in low-resource countries.(1) Achieving favorable results requires early detection and efficient treatments, such as radiation therapy, surgery, and targeted medicines. Multidisciplinary care and an emphasis on patient-reported outcomes have been championed by the increasing number of women surgeons. The advent of the "breast surgeon" has changed the face of breast cancer care and paved the way for many innovations in breast cancer treatment.