Medical device inventor turns attention to breast cancer

Submitted by Jayce Yamagishi

Can breast cancer can be a preventable disease? Absolutely, says Kevin Morton, the founder of the Irvine-based new non-profit organization the Foundation for Breast Cancer Prevention. Morton is a former medical device inventor who is now focusing his efforts not on developing technology but on prevention.

Why is breast cancer prevention so important? Morton cited the 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in women in the U.S., with approximately 40,480 deaths. Breast cancer is the most common cause of death of American women ages 35-50 in the United States

“The key to preventing breast cancer is screening to find women that are at high risk of developing the disease, before they develop cancer. Once we can find these women there are several possible interventions that can stop breast cancer from forming,” explained Morton, who lives in Ladera Ranch.. “In women with certain risk factors there are medications that can actually stop up to 86% of women from developing breast cancer in the first place.”

The difference in screening for risk in women is different than screening with mammography. Once a mammogram finds something, the woman already has breast cancer. The goal for mammography is to find breast cancers in its earliest form.

Breast cancer risk factors are frequently overestimated or underestimated. Women that underestimate their risk often say that they don’t have any history in their family. The facts are that up to 75% of women that develop breast cancer don’t have family history. Women with a family history tend to overestimate their risk. There are many risk factors that are far more significant than family history.

The current understanding and treatment of breast cancer today is where heart disease was 20 years ago, says Morton. At that time a patient would wait until they had chest pains, or had a heart attack, and then would be treated. By finding risk factors like high blood pressure and high cholesterol through screening and treating the patient before they have a heart attack, the death rate from heart disease dropped over 40%.

“We would like to see the same type of results in breast cancer, after the introduction of a successful breast cancer risk screening” said Morton. “Everything we need is in place to start this type of program today, nothing new needs to be invented. Medicine is moving from “Diagnose and Treat” to “Screen and Prevent” but it takes a dedicated organization to implement the changes, such as the Foundation.”

Part of the challenge is that there are so many health care providers involved in the management of women’s breast health. A common pathway can include a primary care physician, radiologist, surgeon, pathologist, oncologist and possibly a geneticist. There are currently no coordinating medical groups taking a multidisciplinary approach to breast cancer prevention. Morton’s goal with the Foundation is to establish a national network of breast cancer teams that can share data, clinical services and prevention programs so that collaboration can occur and new prevention programs can be accelerated.

Morton has nine years of experience in this area, and holds seven patents for both methods and devices in screening for breast cancer risk. “I have worked with leading surgeons, radiologists and oncologists across the country. Breast cancer specialists are among the most passionate physicians about their patients. But they tend to focus on the treatment of their patients, not prevention.” Morton added, “Before staring the Foundation I had specific conversations with many of these doctors regarding the power of screening and prevention, and they all agree that this is the way to make a difference in breast cancer. The challenge is that they are busy with their practices, and this requires a coordinated, full time effort. Since no one else was stepping up to something this important, I decided I would have to do it. I have 25 years of experience building organizations in the medical field, and am excited to be developing this effort.”

For more information, visit www.foundationforBCprevention.com .