tumor by surgery cures one-third of all breast cancers that are detected early. If only the lump and some surrounding breast tissue are removed, leaving most of the breast intact, the procedure is called a partial mastectomy, or lumpectomy. When the breast and other tissues surrounding it are removed, the operation is termed a radical mastectomy. In some cases, radiation therapy is recommended in addition to surgery to treat cancer that has not spread beyond the breast. Traditionally, breast cancer treatment relies heavily on radiation, surgical removal of the breast, called mastectomy, and cytotoxic chemotherapy. There are four stages of breast cancer. The first stage is a tumor less than two centimeters in diameter, where nodes are not involved and there is no distant metastasis. The second stage is a tumor that is less than five centimeters and has no distant metastasis. The third stage is a tumor that is greater than five centimeters in diameter, is invading the skin, and has no distant metastasis. The fourth and final stage of breast cancer includes a tumor that has distant metastasis. The survival rates for each of these stages include 85% for stage one, 66% for stage two, 41% for stage three, and 10% for stage four (Feldman).At the present, clinical research in breast cancer is focusing on a variety of promising theraputic strategies, such as new chemotherapy agents, endocrine agents, antibody therapy, vaccines, and antiangiogenesis agents. A number of drugs are under investigation for treating breast cancer, some of which have shown considerable promise in reducing the size of tumors, and even preventing the disease. They include drugs called taxol, tamoxifen, and Herceptin, which each work to improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy (Gradishar).The drug taxol, approved in 1992 by the FDA for treating breast, ovarian and other types of cancers, is extracted from the bark of the Pacific yew. The tree is scarce, however,...
