Battling Cancer

Today marks my last day at Battling Cancer. I have some new adventures that are waiting for me!

First–many thanks to Hart, the DUDE, and to the other bloggers at the Hart Empire for making this journey so comfortable. Thank you to the readers for your comments and participation.

A special shout out goes to Paul McGee with the American Cancer Society for the heads ups he gives to this site and to the Community at My Crazy, Sexy Life, especially Debbie.

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The month of October is moving to a close, but there are still more pink events out there and an amazing outpouring of pink support for breast cancer!

Let’s take a quick look at what’s going on in the battle against breast cancer.

We’ve come a long way. Based on the Gail model there are now risk prediction tools for breast cancer. The Gail model takes into account five factors including your current age, age when you started menstruating (menarche), previous breast biopsies, age at first live birth, and amily history of breast cancer.

A disadvantages of the Gail model is that it doesn’t take into account age at which a family member was diagnosed and whether the disease occurred in both breasts — early onset and bilateral disease suggests a BRCA mutation carrier.

Based on the model, the National Cancer Institute is one site that now offers a Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool.

“The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool is an interactive tool designed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) to estimate a woman’s risk of developing invasive breast cancer. The tool has been updated for African American women based on the Contraceptive and Reproductive Experiences (CARE) Study.”

Remember that the results are meant to be discussed with your health care provider.

In addition to the Gail model, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have developed a way to quickly estimate a woman’s risk for invasive breast cancer. The new model, based on a measure of breast density that is already reported with the majority of mammograms today, is the first to be validated across multiple ethnic groups living in the United States.

The model could one day be used to help calculate a woman’s risk for breast cancer each time she has a mammogram, providing her with a realistic sense of her likelihood to develop breast cancer in the future.

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With the growing popularity of pink products for the month of October, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month; have you ever wondered if everything is as pink as it appears?

I found a very thought provoking site in my travels through cyberspace seeking out cancer news: Think Before You Pink, challenges people to do just that.

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Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day.

What exactly is metastatic breast cancer? It is when the cancer that originated in the breast spreads to other parts of the body.

While metastatic breast cancer used to have a survival rate of only 10% today those numbers are 40% with treatment options such as surgery and/or hormonal therapy, chemo and radiation.

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I’m excited to share about A NEW ONLINE COMMUNITY whose mission is to empower women living with metastatic breast cancer and help them make the best personal decisions about treatment, support services, and clinical trials.

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Here’s the what is going on in cancer news and events around the globe!

Strike Out Breast Cancer located in San Francisco, CA, is celebrating TEN years. Join them on October 20th as they do it again while grooving to the beat of The Motown Sound.

DJ Lamont Young will be spinning oldies, with dancing, cocktails and fabulous food from Taste Catering, a Silent Auction, and of course, bowling!

FMI check out the website or contact them here: mailto:strikeout@cbcsanfrancisco.com

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October is

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

From the American Cancer Society:

• Breast cancer life time risk is about to 1 in 8 (about 12%).
• In 2008, an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed, along with 67,770 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer. About 40,480 women are expected to die in 2008 from breast cancer, though this is a decrease.
• In the United States, breast cancer death rates are higher than any other cancer, besides lung cancer.
• Excluding skin cancer, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among American women.
• A woman’s risk of breast cancer doubles if she has a mother, sister, or daughter that has been diagnosed with breast cancer. 20% – 30% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have a family history of breast cancer.
• About 5-10% of breast cancers are caused by inherited gene mutations.
• Riskfactors for breast cancer include being female and growing older.

Can Breast Cancer Be Prevented?

“At this time, there is no guaranteed way to prevent breast cancer, which is why regular mammograms are so important. A woman’s best overall preventive health strategy is to reduce her known risk factors as much as possible by avoiding weight gain and obesity, engaging in regular physical activity, and minimizing alcohol intake. Women should consider the increased risk of breast cancer associated with HRT use when evaluating treatment options for menopausal symptoms. Treatment with tamoxifen or raloxifene can also reduce the risk of breast cancer among women at high risk.”

For more information check out the Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2007-2008 From the American Cancer Society

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