News @ Noon: Breast Cancer Cure Rates Up to 90 Percent

ST. CLOUD - The survival rates for women who are diagnosed with breast cancer continues to go up.

Cure rates are at 90 percent now. So, we're event almost starting to think of many cancers, and breast cancer being one of them, almost as a chronic disease like heart disease or diabetes because our cure rate is getting so good with breast cancer.

Coborn Cancer Center spokeswoman Mary Weis says the 90-percent cure rate is due in large part to early detection. She says regular self breast examines, and an annual mammogram starting at the age of 40, are important.

Weis says one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

Coborn Cancer Center spokeswoman Tracey Dearing-Jude says it's a good time to remind both women and men about preventive care. She says regular exercise can greatly reduce your risk of getting cancer.

But, Dearing-Jude says if you are diagnosed with cancer, the treatment doesn't necessarily mean you'll get sick to the point of vomiting.

I think media has portrayed cancer treatment that way. But it is 2015 and we have come a long way in being able to manage side effects. And, there are many patients that go through treatment that have little to no side effects.

Dearing-Jude says another misconception is that breast cancer is hereditary. She says 85-percent of women who get diagnosed do not have a family member with the disease.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month.