A new study found that through widespread screening for breast cancer, a majority of women diagnosed with the disease get unnecessary treatment, according to the Los Angeles Times. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the value of mammograms as a life-saving tool has been significantly overstated, and that the development of more effective treatments should take most of the credit for the improvement in breast cancer survival rates. Researchers stated that physicians, activists, and the media have all contributed to the overstatement of mammography value. For 2016, it’s expected that physicians in the United States will diagnose 246,660 new cases of invasive breast cancer, including 61,000 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer, the article notes. However, in the analysis of data from the National Cancer Institute, the findings suggest that a majority of the abnormalities that are picked up through screenings would likely never become deadly if left alone.
During an experiment, researchers were able to use the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system to correct a tiny genetic mutation that causes sickle cell disease, reported the Los Angeles Times. Although this has only been demonstrated in human cells in laboratory dishes, researchers were able to use the DNA editing technique to alter human cells that were transfused in mice. After 16 weeks, the mice still had cells that contained the edited gene. Researchers hope that the gene editing tool can provide physicians with the ability to remove a patient’s stem cells, alter their DNA in the lab, and then place the cells back into the patient’s body where they will produce indefinite healthy red blood cells. Sickle cell disease is a blood disease that affects millions of people, reported the Times.
