February 12, 2006 --

Elizabeth Alvarez-KFOX News Reporter

She was young, had a great job, a strong marriage and a wonderful new baby girl. Then the woman, who we profile in this story, got a diagnosis that changed her life-it was Breast cancer.

In addition to standard treatment, she was enrolled in a study that looked at whether a specific medication would prevent recurrence of the disease. Now many researchers are calling the drug a revolution in the fight against breast cancer.

Every moment spent coloring with her daughter Kaia is a gift to former breast cancer patient Kristie Naines.

"Cause I was diagnosed when she was so little," said Naines.

Doctors told her she had cancer when her daughter was just a baby.

"It had spread to 18 lymph nodes at that point," said Naines.

Kristie did not want her daughter to grow up without a mommy, so she was proactive about treatment. She had both breast removed, then chemotherapy. She also enrolled in a Mayo Clinic Study recently published in the New England journal of medicine. The study tested the effectiveness of a drug called Herceptin.

Doctors say 20 to 30 percent of all breast cancer tumors produce a protein called HER-2. The protein makes tumors grow fast and makes them more likely to reoccur.

The trial found that the drug Herceptin, when given in conjuction with chemotherapy, targets these tumors and reduces the risk of the cancer coming back by 52-percent.

"The bottom line is that the results have changed the standard of care, not only for women in the united stated but also world wide. It's been really gratifying to see the results of this study that can affect the lives of so many women," said oncologist Dr. Edith Perez.

Edith Perez led the study that is giving people like Naines hope.

"I was really hoping that I'd get to see my daughter go to kindergarten. Now I know I'll get to see her grow up," said Naines.

In addition to the Herceptin study, Dr. Perez is also interested in researching why one patient responds to treatment and while others do not.

If you would like more medical news, visit our health partners Web sites:

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center:http://www.mdanderson.org/

The Mayo Clinic:http://www.medicaledge.org

Baylor College of Medicine:http://public.bcm.tmc.edu/