Good news on the breast cancer front: Doctors revealed Thursday at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium that they are backing off on chemotherapy for breast cancer patients. And when the drug therapy must be used, new research reveals there are gentler drug versions that can spare women the toxicity that results from standard drugs like Adriamycin, a mainstay of treatment for decades.

Even better news: Avoiding chemotherapy for some patients -- namely those who qualify for gene tests to predict prognosis -- doesn't adversely affect the odds for relapse and survival. Where was this news three years ago when Adriamycin was blasting through my veins?

These great new findings are sure to speed the growing trend away from chemotherapy and more precisely target the small groups of women who truly need the treatment.

Yes, chemotherapy is not necessary for all breast patients. Such good news, isn't it?