Watch our special half hour on ABC7NY

Monday, October 12, 2015

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Hosted by Eyewitness News Anchor, Sade Baderinwa, the Special features the progress we're making on many issues of great concern to those who are diagnosed with breast cancer. This year marks WABC's twenty first year of working with the American Cancer Society.

The program features new research that holds the promise of reducing the very common practice of repeated surgeries to obtain clean margins. Also being tested is the much desired option of using lasers instead of surgery so that Laser Ablation becomes a viable way for women with small breast cancers to avoid surgery completely. Patients & Doctors report real progress on improving quality of life issues by using team approaches to managing treatment, including everyone from surgeons to geneticists, with some also making available alternative options such as Music Therapy.

Researchers are also excited about a new study that aims to personalize the treatment with the hope of giving survivors an "insurance" that can help to battle a future recurrence. The program also addresses controversial and confusing age related guidelines when it comes to mammograms. One researcher is inspired by her own mother to create a solution for the problem of hormone driven cancers that eventually develop a resistance to drugs. Her findings could affect how the disease is handled for a majority of survivors.

Experts featured include Doctors and researchers from Cancer Treatment Centers of America, NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, the Dubin Breast Center at the Mount Sinai Hospital, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center at Morristown Medical Center, Murray Hill Radiology, the Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone and the American Cancer Society.

This annual special is part of WABC-TV's continuing commitment to the Making Strides against Breast Cancer Campaign of the American Cancer Society. Especially since this is WABC TV's 21st year as media sponsors of the walk, we strongly urge our viewers to join us on October 18th for the Making Strides walks in our tri-state area. Previous Specials in the series have won seven Emmy Awards & three National Gracie Allen Awards.

WATCH THE SPECIAL HERE:

Part 1: