Breast Reconstruction Study

Who has the most influence on a patient? Their doctor of course. A new study finds more doctors need to talk about breast reconstruction with women facing breast cancer surgery.

Only about a third of women say their doctor told them about reconstruction. And when the doctor did - more women were likely to get a mastectomy, and then implants to restore the normal look. While lumpectomies are less drastic, there are not implants for reshaping the odd defects left behind. The study was published online by the journal CANCER.

"DIEP FLAP" is one of the newest breast reconstruction options. To read more about how it is done - Click here

Share this story with a Buddy and let me know what you think about the Cancer study. Comment right here on the BLOG page. Something you say or do might help another Buddy.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Dear Buddies,

As you search for that perfect holiday gift, know that the best present you can give or receive is the gift of health. Your gift to yourself should be to follow all the steps to good breast health. That means Prevention & Early Detection. Don't forget your monthly breast self exams, a regular exam by a doctor or nurse practitioner and your annual mammogram. Plus, if you know there's a history of breast cancer in your family, consider genetic counseling.

The best gift you could receive from a loved one is that they get their recommended cancer screening tests too. And we all must make those lifestyle changes to reduce the risks of heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. In 2008, resolve to exercise more, give up smoking and maintain a healthy diet rich in fruits, veggies, whole grains, fish and lean cuts of meat. And watch those portions sizes.

Remember if you Screen Together, you will Live Together for a very long time.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!!!!

Please share this with your Buddy and lets communicate via the BLOG even more in 2008. Something you say of do may help another Buddy.

SCREEN TOGETHER. LIVE TOGETHER

Earlier this month instead of co-anchoring the news with Mike Walter, I was playing chauffeur to my husband Mike and my mother Ethel. Beginning at 6:30 A-M, they were scheduled, back to back, for colonoscopies with our favorite gastroenterologist Dr. John O'Connor at the White Flint Surgery on Shady Grove Road in Rockville. Because both would be given anesthesia, I had to be the designated driver for the day.
This was a routine follow-up for my mother, but for my husband this was his first colonsocopy. He always made time to take me to my exams, but I could never get him to schedule his own test. Not even my assurance that he would get a 15-minute nap worked. He was just too busy. Sound familiar? That was my own excuse for being two months late scheduling my mammogram. And I know it's probably the same for most of you. We are all just too busy. And besides, there's no family history of colorectal cancer in either family and Michael's previous fecal occult blood tests were all negative. So, nothing to really worry about, right?.
Not quite. What finally made my husband put his health first was a call from his brother. He learned a big brother had been diagnosed with colon cancer and would soon undergo surgery. And this is the brother the siblings all agreed was the most fit of the 4-boys. Most people delay their colonscopy because they don't want to endure the cleansing preparation. But that's a minor annoyance compared to cancer surgery and chemotherapy.
Colorectal cancer is Preventable, Treatable, and Beatable if you follow the screening guidelines.
Screening does more than find colon cancer at an early stage when it is most curable - it actually can prevent it from ever occurring by finding and removing the polyps that, left alone, can develop into cancer.
People without special risks should begin screening at age 50. However, new guidelines urge African-Americans to begin screening at age 45. Under the old & new rules, my husband & his brother were both long over do for their tests.
Lifestyle changes can also reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Maintaining normal weight, exercising, not smoking, and eating less red meat make colorectal cancer less likely but this doesn't replace screening.
Found at an early stage, colorectal cancer is 90% curable with surgery alone.
New chemotherapy treatments given after surgery for larger cancers and cancer that has spread to nearby lymph nodes have increased the percentage of patients whose cancer will not return.
Although the percentage of people who have had a colorectal cancer screening test is still abysmally low, it is slowly increasing. Awareness is growing. Colon cancer, once an unspeakable secret, gets talked about more and more.The talk leads to action and that action leads to Preventing, Treating & Beating colon cancer. Don't wait until someone you loved is diagnosed before you get screened.
At this season of giving, think of a colonsocopy as the best present you can give yourself.
I'd love to hear from you; share your experiences. Something you say or do may help another Buddy

Understanding the BRCA 1 Mutation

More than 10 years ago, scientists discovered that mutations in a gene called BRCA1 lead to a particularly deadly type of breast cancer. Now scientists have found another gene that may explain why. The gene PTEN has instructions to produce a protein that stops the uncontrolled cell growth of cancer. But BRCA 1 prevents PTEN from doing its work of suppressing cancer. That could explain why the 15 - 20% of women who have the BRCA 1 mutation are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer. The research, published in the journal Nature Genetics, might help scientists better fight breast cancer.
Dr. Claudine Isaacs is Associate Professor of Medicine & Medical Director of the Clinical Breast Program at Georgetown Lombardi's Comprehensive Cancer Center.
In my interview with her, Doctor Isaacs told me why this study could represent a significant breakthrough in the breast cancer fight. Click Here

Dr. Isaacs adds...Click Here

I'd love to hear your thoughts on Dr. Isaacs' comments. Join the discussion. Something you say or add may help a Buddy.

Update-MammoSite Targeted Radiation Therapy

Two years ago, Buddy Check 9 reported on a new radiation therapy at Georgetown Univeristy Hospital called Mammosite. Instead of weeks of radiation and all the debilitating effects that keep you from getting back to normal sooner, MammoSite does it in less than a week.

The 5-day targeted radiation therapy is now available at George Washington University & Howard University Hospitals.

One of our Buddy Check 9 viewers was so impressed with how well Mammosite worked for her friend that she emailed me and asked that we share this good breast health news with all of you.

Survivor Carmen lives in Northern Virginia . In addition to working as an early childhood specialist, Carmen is also a wife and busy mother of two. One thing that Carmen never planned for was getting breast cancer. However, earlier this year, she did. Having two daughters to care for, Carmen’s main concern was what her diagnosis meant as far as her chances of survival and the impact breast cancer was going to have on her family. Thanks to Carmen’s diligence in going for an annual mammogram, she was diagnosed in the early stages and received a very positive prognosis. Her breast surgeon, Dr. Christine Teal at the Breast Care Center at George Washington University Hospital, informed her she was a perfect candidate for a newer, less invasive and time consuming treatment option. Carmen was familiar with standard radiation therapy, or whole breast radiation, which takes about six weeks of daily treatments to complete and involves radiating the entire breast. However, she didn’t want to miss weeks of work, and she worried the radiation treatments would make her very fatigued and interfere with her caring for her family. Dr. Teal told Carmen about an alternative radiation therapy called MammoSite, which is ideal for early stage breast cancer patients. With MammoSite, treatment is completed in five days and radiation exposure to the rest of the breast, skin, ribs, lungs and heart is minimized because it is delivered internally (in the area surrounding where the lump was removed). MammoSite was cleared for use by the FDA in May 2002, and more than 35,000 patients have been treated to date. The first five year data on MammoSite showed there have been no local cancer recurrences among women in the study who completed follow up. Being diagnosed with breast cancer was an overwhelming experience so getting through the treatment quickly and being able to get back to her normal life was important to Carmen.

Thanks for being a Buddy and for sharing your friend Carmen's story with Buddy Check 9. To see how Mammosite targeted radiation works, click here.
To talk with other patients who've used Mammosite check out this site - www.VoicesofMammoSite.com. It's a new online resource for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients who are thinking about getting MammoSite and want to connect with breast cancer survivors and hear about their experiences with the treatment.

And if you're reading this blog, I'd like to hear from you too; share or comment on my Blog. Something you say or do might help another Buddy.

What Viewers Are Talking About

---Just wanted to let you know how I have enjoyed seeing you on channel 9 news for a while. All the time it has been a blessing to receive news and health information concerning breast cancer. See my grandmother had breast cancer, and my mother also. I lost my grandmother but not from cancer but heart disease, and my mom is a cancer survivor and doing well. So keep up the good work and keep our women informed of good health issues.
One issue I would like to see talked about more is: Is exercise the best way to relieve pain and stiffness in the knees for women? Or what is the best way to relieve pain and stiffness in the knees of women?
Donna R Gwynn Department
Senior Assistant CSC North American Public Sector


Thanks Donna for writing. For the New Year, we're working on a piece about the benefits of Yoga as it relates to breast cancer. I don't know how it would work for joint pains, but the gentle stretching nature of Yoga should help make a positive difference,
If any of our Buddies reading this have some ideas, please share. Donna & I would love to hear from you.

Do What I Do. Do What I Say.

It's the 9th of the month. Have you called your Buddy? If you haven't, do it now! Call and remind her to do a Breast Self Exam; schedule an exam with a doctor or nurse practitioner; and women over 40---make that appointment for your mammogram.
That's what I just did. My Buddy, my mother Ethel, and I had appointments at the Sullivan Center for Breast Health at Sibley Memorial Hospital in NW Washington. I was excused from the 9 A-M newscast so we could keep our appointments. I usually schedule the mammograms around my birthday in October. But I kept putting it off because I was just too busy. Sound familiar? Yes, we are all too busy and routine exams like mammograms are often left for another day. Well for me, that other day turned into a month and before I knew it, two months had passed. I had to say to myself - enough with the excuses. How could I tell you to do everything in your power to take charge of your own breast health, if I didn't follow my own advice? So, in November, I made the call and mother and I were set for December 6th.
The nurse performing my exam was Shirley Rudder, Since my last visit in 2006, a lot had changed at the center. Sibley was now all digital and what a difference that has made. While Digital Mammography continues to use the same breast compression and low dose X-Ray beams as in standard mammography, this equipment is much faster. It immediately sends information to the computer eliminating the wait for films to be developed. And I could see them right away too. When I schedule my mammogram, I always ask for additional time to see my doctor. I have known Dr. Rebecca Zuurbier for 14-years. Named one of "America's Top Radiologists for 2007", we first met when I began Buddy Check 9. And when I had a scare in 2000, Dr. Zuurbier performed a needle core biopsy. Because Dr. Z is so familiar with my breast history, I followed her when she made the move from Georgetown to Sibley to become its Chief of Breast Imaging. Following the mammogram, I think I waited less than 5-minutes to see her. But like every other woman in that position, those 5-minutes felt more like an hour. When Dr. Zuurbier finally came in, she had both thumbs UP!!!!! Everything looked great. But she told me to keep doing what I was doing. While mammograms remain the medical gold standard, they are not infallible. There is still a 15% chance a lump may be missed. Do your part to prevent cancer and practice early detection. Don't skip the BSE, mammogram or the clinical exam, and maintain a healthy lifestyle. In the meantime, Sibley is doing what it can to meet the needs of patients in the cancer center. Thanks to the remarkable efforts of volunteer and Gala Chair Annie Totah and the hospital's Board of Directors, Sibley raised over a million dollars for cancer care at its 7th annual Celebration of Hope & Progress Gala. I was the night's emcee.

For their part in raising awareness and fighting breast cancer, Sibley honored Komen For the Cure Founder Nancy Brinker, Empress Farah Pahlavi and renowned oncologist Dr. Fred Smith.