Aging & Social Change: Ninth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

We shall discuss promising research in breast cancer therapy and diagnostic tests. Gene mutations increase with age. Alterations can transform a benign tumor into a cancerous lesion. Treatment for postmenopausal women is simple mastectomy. Ductal carcinoma in situ is a common form. Cancerous tumors produce markers in blood and urine at high rate. Recently introduced is the experimental biological therapy Adopted Immunotherapy. Tumor cells undergo genetic changes that make their surface antigens less conspicuous to killer T cells. Nevertheless, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes are found within tumors. These cytotoxic cells recognize the modified antigen. They are then sequestered, grown in the laboratory into vast numbers, and infused back into the patient. A checkpoint inhibitor prevents these T cells from attaching to the antigen on normal cells. Hormones estrogen and progesterone receptors help detect breast cancer. There is an affinity for attachment of hormones to a tumor and then act as growth factors. Production and adherence of hormones consequently are curtailed. Expressions of several genes can yield the expectation of recurrence somewhere in the body. High probability suggests ten instead of five year duration of hormone therapy. Another test examines under fluorescent lighting if chromosomes of tumors were damaged by the malignancy. Tumor infiltrating lymphocytes are found within tumors. These cytotoxic cells recognize modified antigens. They are grown in the laboratory into large numbers, and infused back into the patient. One test yields the probability of recurrence and implies duration of hormone therapy. Another determines if any damage to tumor chromosomes occurred.