Breast Cancer; Lifestyle Tips.Coping with a breast cancer diagnosis Don't ever blame yourself for getting breast cancer. Scientists have identified a number of risk factors, but no one knows what causes this disease. Racking your brain for reasons is a waste of energy; there are no answers. And don't feel pressured to carry out your "to-do" list to the degree that you did before your diagnosis. For example, forgive yourself if you are late for a lunch date or forget to send your nephew a birthday card. People will understand. Fatigue to be expected If you are undergoing cancer treatment or expect to be, it's important to plan for the eventuality that you may feel very fatigued during the treatment period. If possible, arrange in advance to have friends and family pitch in with meal preparation, child care, caring for your pets and other household tasks in case you just don't feel up to doing such things. Speak with your employer about taking time off or working flexible hours while you're undergoing treatments. Studies have shown that general fatigue, including fatigue caused by anemia, affects more than three-quarters of patients undergoing cancer treatment. Other side effects of treatment can include nausea, depression and pain. HT increases breast cancer risk Taking combined estrogen-progestin hormone therapy may increase your breast cancer risk more than taking estrogen alone, according to a study of 16,000 women in the federally funded Women's Health Initiative Women's Health Initiative A 15-yr, $628 million project involving 1. An observational study of the health habits and medical Hx of ±100,000 ♀ 2. (WHI). The most recent results from the study found that not only did combined hormone therapy increase the risk of breast cancer, it also increased the chance that the cancer would be found at a later stage. Free and low-cost mammograms available Most health insurers and Medicare cover mammography, an x-ray screening for breast cancer that generally costs $50 to $150. If you are not insured and cannot afford mammography, call the American Cancer Society, 1-800-ACS-2345, your state health department or the nearest YWCA YWCA abbr. Young Women's Christian Association YWCA n abbr (= Young Women's Christian Association) → Asociación f de Jóvenes Cristianas YWCA (ask about the ENCOREplus program) for referrals to free or low-cost mammography to qualifying women. You can also e-mail the National Breast Cancer Foundation at info@nationalbreastcancer.org or call the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service since 1973, with headquarters in Atlanta; it was established in 1946 as the Communicable Disease Center. (CDC See Control Data, century date change and Back Orifice. CDC - Control Data Corporation ) at 1-800-311-3435. October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, when many mammography facilities offer reduced fees and extended hours. If you are unable to schedule a mammogram another time of year, it helps to call in September to reserve an appointment. Lumpectomy Lumpectomy Definition A lumpectomy is a type of surgery used to treat breast cancer. It is considered "breast-conserving" surgery because in a lumpectomy, only the malignant tumor and a surrounding margin of normal breast tissue are 'standard of care' for breast cancer patients In the past, it was assumed that breast cancer patients who are 65 or older who underwent lumpectomy followed by radiation did not fare as well as their younger counterparts who had the same breast-conservation therapy (BCT). However, more recent studies find that BCT provides excellent disease-free survival rates among elderly women with breast cancer. In an 2001 study, the five- and 10-year survival rates were 96 percent and 91 percent, respectively. Experts recommend that elderly patients who do not suffer from severe coexisting diseases have this procedure. References Genomic Health, Inc. 2008. "What is Oncotype DX?" Available at http://www.genomichealth.com Accessed April 2008. "What is breast cancer?" The American Cancer Society. September 2007. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed March 2008. "How many women get breast cancer?" The American Cancer Society. September 26, 2007. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed March 2008. "How is breast cancer staged?" The American Cancer Society. September 2007. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed March 2008. "Abortion, miscarriage, and breast cancer risk." The National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed March 2008. Ries LAG, Harkins D, Krapcho M, et al. SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2003. Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute; 2006. Vogel VG. Management of the high-risk patient. 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"Mammograms." Womenshealth.gov. National Women's Health Information Center. US Department of Health and Human Services Noun 1. Department of Health and Human Services - the United States federal department that administers all federal programs dealing with health and welfare; created in 1979 Health and Human Services, HHS . Office on Women's Health. March 2002. http://www.4women.gov. Accessed September 15, 2005. "Sentinel Node Biopsy Sentinel node biopsy A newer procedure performed in order to determine whether breast cancer has spread to auxiliary (underarm) lymph nodes. A blue radioactive tracer and/or blue dye is injected into the area of the breast tumor. ." National Cancer Institute. http://www.nci.nih.gov. U. Veronesi, et al. "Sentinel Node Biopsy May Be as Good as Regular Lymph Node Biopsy Lymph Node Biopsy Definition A lymph node biopsy is a procedure in which all or part of a lymph node is removed and examined to determine if there is cancer within the node. ," New England Journal of Medicine The New England Journal of Medicine (New Engl J Med or NEJM) is an English-language peer-reviewed medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is one of the most popular and widely-read peer-reviewed general medical journals in the world. , August 7, 2003; last updated Sept. 2003.http://www.breastcancer.org. Accessed March 2004 "Prophylactic Mastectomy." Last updated February 2004. http://www.breastcancer.org. Accessed March 2004 "Bone Marrow Or Stem Cell Transplant Helps Reduce Breast Cancer Relapses," 1999. American Society of Clinical Oncology Conference, Atlanta, Georgia. "Breast Cancer." CancerNet. National Cancer Institute. National Institutes of Health. http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed November 2003. Canadian Medical Association Journal The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) is a general medical journal that is published biweekly by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA). It is considered to be one of the top six general medical journals; the others being the 2001;164:1837-1846,1851-1852. "20-Year Follow-up of a Trial Comparing Total Mastectomy with Lumpectomy" New England Journal of Medicine, This Week in the Journal. October 2002. http://content.nejm.org. Accessed November 2002. "The Facts for Life." The Komen Foundation. http://www.komen.org. Accessed November 2003. "Updated Breast Cancer Screening This article or section recently underwent a major revision or rewrite and needs further review. You can help! X-ray mammography Mammography is still the modality of choice for screening of early breast cancer, since it is relatively fast, reasonably accurate, and Guidelines Released" American Cancer Society, May 15, 2003. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed November 2003. Breast Cancer: Detailed Guide. American Cancer Society. 2003. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed May 2003. "Cancer Facts and Figures 2003" American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed May 2003. King MC, et al. "Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risks Due to Inherited Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2." Science. 2003;302(5645):643-646. http://www.sciencemag.org. Accessed November 2003. Gross PE, et al. "A Randomized Trial of Letrozole in Postmenopausal Women after Five Years of Tamoxifen Therapy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer" New England Journal of Medicine. 2003;340:1793-1802. http://content.nejm.org. Accessed November 2003. "Summary from the General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel Meeting--October 14 and 15, 2003." US Food and Drug Aministration. Center for Devices and Radiological Health The Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) is the branch of the United States Food and Drug Administration responsible for the premarket approval of all medical devices, as well as overseeing the manufacturing, performance and safety of these devices. . October 2003. http://www.fda.gov. Accessed November 2003. Coombes R, Hall E, Gibson L, et al. A randomized trial of exemestane after two to three years of tamoxifen therapy in postmenopausal women with primary breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2004;350:1081-1092. Howell A, Cuzick J, Baum M, et al. ATAC Trialists' Group. Results of the ATAC (Arimidex, Tamoxifen, Alone or in Combination) trial after completion of 5 years' adjuvant treatment for breast cancer. Lancet. 2005;365(9453):60-2. "General information about breast cancer." The National Cancer Institute. June 22, 2005. http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed January 2006. Piccart-Gebhart MJ, Procter M, Leyland-Jones B et al. Trastuzumab after adjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2005;353(16):1659-72. Romond E. H., Perez E. A., Bryant J, et al. Trastuzumab plus Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Operable HER2-Positive Breast Cancer. N Engl J Med 2005; 353:1673-1684, Oct 20, 2005 "Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifine (STAR) Trial." The National Cancer Institute. Updated 4/26/06. http://www.cancer.gov. Accessed April 26, 2006. "What are the risk factors for breast cancer?" American Cancer Society. September 2006. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed February 2007. "What is breast cancer?" American Cancer Society. September 2006. http://www.cancer.org. Accessed February 2007. Keywords: breast cancer, fatigue, hormone replacement therapy Hormone Replacement Therapy Definition Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is the use of synthetic or natural female hormones to make up for the decline or lack of natural hormones produced in a woman's body. , mammogram, mammography |
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