More than 3,000 men so far have completed proton therapy's course of treatment with studies showing the overall disease free survival rate at 89 percent. Now, Loma Linda University engineers, physicists, and physicians are turning their attention to the needs of women with breast cancer. It is the most common form of cancer in women and the second leading cause of cancer death for women after lung cancer.
Every woman is at risk for breast cancer.
There are also several risk factors that can increase a woman's chances of developing cancer. A woman may be at increased risk if she has family history of the disease, if she had her first child after the age of 30 or has no children. However, more than 70 percent of women who develop breast cancer have no known risk factors. The best chance for successful treatment occurs when cancer is found early. If a cancer is found early, it is more than 90 percent likely to be completely curable.