With early diagnosis, women can have better treatment that's effective. They can have a lumpectomy, for example, instead of losing a breast with a mastectomy. The way they do the lymph node staging is also less aggressive. It's called a sentinel node biopsy. Compared to the traditional method, which left about a third of women with permanent swelling in their hand and arm, with the less aggressive sentinel node biopsy, the likelihood of lymphedema is as low as 2%. They can function much better if they can avoid chemotherapy, which is possible depending on the biology and the stage of the tumour.
For some women, having chemotherapy is the worst part of breast cancer, and to be able to avoid it is a huge benefit. Then they can go to work while they're being treated and continue to care for their children and, in some cases, look after aging parents. They're contributing to the economy.