Yesterday, as I was driving home from work, I was pondering breast cancer. A co-worker of mine was very recently diagnosed, had surgery, and is looking great. Thinking on this I wondered if breast cancer is on the rise, or is it simply more researched, recognized and diagnosed? I would believe it was probably around in full force before technology made is so identifiable and curable - but that it wasn't so terribly fatal as all that. And if that is true, perhaps all the surgery, radiation and chemo aren't entirely necessary. Now - disclaimer - I know this research saves lives, I know it is beneficial, and to those women who were saved they probably are not concerned with whether or not there is over-diagnosis, because their life (and all survivors) is worth that. But what percentage would actually have had fatal results if not treated? How many would have lived a healthy happy life if they never knew about it? Interestingly enough, this afternoon on my lunch break