There are more than 100 forms of cancer, but all of them result from the growth of abnormal cells in the body. Some cancers, such as cancer of the breast, ovaries, uterus, or cervix present particular health concerns for women. However, few women realize that more women die of lung cancer than breast cancer. The incidence of lung cancer is rising nine times faster in women than in men.
Some doctors believe that women are genetically more vulnerable to the effects of tobacco.
Today, many of the medical, pharmaceutical and technological advances in the war against cancer are the result of groundbreaking research studies using various animal models. The U.S. government requires that anti-cancer drugs be tested on animals before they are approved for use by patients. Similarly, researchers use animal models to study the safety and effectiveness of radiation therapy and surgical procedures. Herceptin, the first gene-based cancer treatment, was approved for use by patients with a specific type of breast cancer in the summer of 1998. Doctors at UCLA used mice to develop antibodies to attack the gene that stimulates cancer cells to grow.