Florida Agenda

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – A new study by researchers at UCLA says that gay or bisexual women who cohabit with their same-sex partners may be at greater risk for developing fatal breast cancer. The study, published this spring in the Journal of Women’s Health, found that women partnered in same-sex couples were more than three times at risk as those in different sex relationships.

This year, more than 220,000 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer, and the disease will kill about 37,000, according to the National Cancer Institute. The study analyzed data from 136,865 gay or bisexual women, aged 18 to 80. The researchers, led by Susan D. Cochran and Vickie M. Mays, found that lesbians and bisexual women are more likely than other women to have more risk factors for breast cancer. Gay women are less likely to seek routine health screenings, such as mammograms, professional breast exams, and breast self-exams. They are also less likely to give birth by age 30, which increases risk of breast cancer.

By Bob Kecskemety

Thanks to improvements in treatment and early detection, millions of women are surviving breast cancer today. This information briefly represents the views of the doctors and nurses serving on the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Information Database Editorial Board. These views are based on their interpretation of studies published in medical journals, as well as their own professional experience. Your doctor may have reasons for suggesting a treatment plan different from these general treatment options. Don’t hesitate to ask him or her questions about your treatment options.

Treatments can be classified into broad groups, based on how they work and when they are used. Local therapy is intended to treat a tumor at the site without affecting the rest of the body. Surgery and radiation therapy are examples of local therapies. Systemic therapy refers to drugs which can be given by mouth or directly into the bloodstream to reach cancer cells anywhere in the body.

Chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy are systemic therapies. Patients who have no detectable cancer after surgery are often given adjuvant (additional) systemic therapy. Doctors believe that in some cases cancer cells may break away from the primary breast tumor and begin to spread through the body by way of the bloodstream even in the early stages of the disease.

Surgery

Most women with breast cancer have some type of surgery. Surgery is often needed to remove a breast tumor. Options for this include breast-conserving surgery and mastectomy. Breast reconstruction can be done at the same time as the mastectomy or done later on.

Breast-conserving surgery is sometimes called partial mastectomy. It only removes a part of the affected breast, but how much is removed depends on the size and location of the tumor and other factors. Lumpectomy removes only the breast lump and a surrounding margin of normal tissue. Radiation therapy is usually given after a lumpectomy. For a quadrantectomy, one-quarter of the breast is removed. Radiation therapy is usually given after surgery.

Mastectomy is surgery to remove the entire breast. All of the breast tissue is removed, sometimes along with other nearby tissues. In a simple mastectomy, the surgeon removes the entire breast, including the nipple, but does not remove underarm lymph nodes or muscle tissue from beneath the breast. Sometimes this is done for both breasts (a double mastectomy), especially when it is done as preventive surgery in women at very high risk for breast cancer. For some women considering immediate reconstruction, a skin-sparing mastectomy can be done. In this procedure, most of the skin over the breast (other than the nipple and areola) is left intact. This can work as well as a simple mastectomy. In radical mastectomy, the surgeon removes the entire breast, auxiliary lymph nodes and the pectoral muscles under the breast. This surgery was once very common, but it was found that a modified radical mastectomy was just as effective.

For many, the thought of surgery can be frightening. But with a better understanding of what to expect before, during, and after the operation, many fears can be relieved. The common biopsy procedures let you find out if you have breast cancer within a few days of your biopsy, but the extent of the breast cancer will not be known until after imaging tests and the surgery for local treatment are done. Usually, you meet with your surgeon a few days before the operation to discuss the procedure. This is a good time to ask specific questions about the surgery and review potential risks.

Be sure you understand what the extent of the surgery is likely to be and what you should expect afterward. If you are thinking about breast reconstruction, ask about this as well.

Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy is treatment with high-energy rays or particles that destroy cancer cells. This treatment may be used to kill any cancer cells that remain in the breast, chest wall, or underarm area after breast-conserving surgery. Radiation may also be needed after mastectomy in patients with either a cancer larger than 5 cm in size, or when cancer is found in the lymph nodes.

External beam radiation is the most common type of radiation therapy for women with breast cancer. The radiation is focused from a machine outside the body on the area affected by the cancer.

Brachytherapy, also known as internal radiation, is another way to deliver radiation therapy. Instead of aiming radiation beams from outside the body, radioactive seeds or pellets are placed directly into the breast tissue next to the cancer. It is often used as a way to add an extra boost of radiation to the tumor site (along with external radiation to the whole breast), although it may also be used by itself.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is treatment with cancer-killing drugs that may be given intravenously or by mouth. The drugs travel through the bloodstream to reach cancer cells in most parts of the body. Chemo is given in cycles, with each period of treatment followed by a recovery period. Treatment usually lasts for several months.

Source: American Cancer Society

By BOB KECSKEMETY

October is considered National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) which is an annual campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness

of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure. Through the last three decades, organizations have made millions of women aware of breast cancer, its early detection and available treatments and, as a result, have saved millions of lives. Though there are local organizations dedicated to breast cancer awareness, larger national and international organizations get most of the spotlight.

The most well-known international organization dedicated to breast cancer awareness is the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Komen was 33 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and died three years later. In 1980, her younger sister, Nancy Brinker, decided to act upon a promise she made to Suaan to find a way to speed-up breast cancer research. In 1982, Brinker founded the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in her sister’s memory. In 2007, the organization changed its name to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

The first Susan G. Komen “National Race for the Cure” was held in Dallas, Texas, in October 1983 with 800 participating. In 1991, the participants in the New York City race were handed a pink ribbon to wear—the intial appearance of what would become the international symbol for breast cancer awareness. Today, the “Race” is held in over 100 U.S. cities, attracting over 1.3 million participants. Races are also held in nine other countries: Australia, New Zealand, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, Hungary, and Bulgaria, plus the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Lesser known are the Susan G. Komen 3-Day Walks for the Cure which are held in several U.S. cities and consist of a 60-mile trek which spans over three days. Other smaller Komen fundraisers are held throughout Europe.

Funds raised by the Races and Walks help support community outreach programs. The money also supports local community breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment projects through the Komen Award and Research Grant Program.
In 1993, Evelyn Lauder, Senior Corporate Vice President of the Estée Lauder Inc. founded The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and used the pink ribbon as its official symbol. Estée Lauder has arranged to have 17 world-famous landmarks illuminated at night in pink light to draw attention to the importance of mammography screening for early diagnosis of breast cancer as well as research for finding ways to cure and prevent breast cancer.

Avon Cosmetics has formed the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, the company’s largest annual fundraising event. There is a series of nine Avon 2-Day Walks for Breast Cancer held each year from April to October. From 2003 through 2008, the Avon Walks raised more than $265 million. The Avon Walk for Breast Cancer also raises awareness as participants spend an entire weekend walking 39 miles through cities and towns around the country.

Pharmaceutical company, Astra-Zeneca, which manufactures several breast cancer drugs, founded National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in 1995 with the aim to promote mammography as the most effective weapon in the fight against breast cancer. National Breast Cancer Awareness month has come under fire over last few years.

The Cancer Prevention Coalition has criticized the basic message of NBCAM as a form of victim blaming because it focuses on “early detection and treatment” while ignoring environmental factors. Their researchers contend that hormone use is one of the major factors raising the cancer risk and that drug and chemical companies have a vested interest in treating the disease rather than finding ways to minimize its rate of incidence. Recent studies show that breast cancer is linked to several environmental and genetic factors, which can be controlled or mitigated.

In October 2008, First Lady Laura Bush had the White House decorated in pink  in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

By BOB KECSKEMETY

The Earlier the Better

Most doctors feel that early detection tests for breast cancer save many thousands of lives each year, and that many more lives could be saved if even more women and their health care providers took advantage of these tests. Following the American Cancer Society’s guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer improves the chances that breast cancer can be diagnosed at an early stage and treated successfully.

Risk Factors

Having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that you will get the disease. Most women who have one or more breast cancer risk factors never develop the disease, while many women with breast cancer have no apparent risk factors (other than being a woman and growing older). Even when a woman with risk factors develops breast cancer, it is hard to know just how much these factors may have contributed to her cancer.

Risk factors you cannot change: Simply being a woman is the main risk factor for developing breast cancer. Your risk of developing breast cancer increases as you get older. About 5% – 10% of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary. Women whose close blood relatives have had breast cancer have a higher risk. A woman with cancer in one breast has a 3 to 4 fold increased risk of developing a new cancer.

Denser breast tissue which has more glandular tissue and less fatty tissue. Women diagnosed with certain benign breast conditions may have an increased risk. Women who have had more menstrual cycles because they started menstruating at an early age and/or went through menopause at a later age have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer. Women, who as children or young adults, had radiation therapy to the chest area as treatment for another cancer. Women who have been exposed to Diethylstilbestrol have a slightly increased risk.

Lifestyle-related factors: Women who have not had children or who had their first child after age 30. Women using oral contraceptives. Using estrogen before menopause. Consumption of alcohol is clearly linked to an increased risk as does being overweight or obese.

Detection Mammogram:

The American Cancer Society recommends women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health. Recent evidence has confirmed that mammograms offer substantial benefit for women in their 40s. Women can feel confident about the benefits associated with regular mammograms for finding cancer early. However, mammograms also have limitations. A mammogram can miss some cancers, and it may lead to follow up of findings that are not cancer.

Clinical breast exam:

Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part of a regular health exam by a health professional preferably every 3 years. Starting at age 40, women should have a CBE by a health professional every year. For this exam, you undress from the waist up. The health professional will first look at the breasts for abnormalities in size or shape, or changes in the skin of the breasts or nipple. Then, using the pads of the fingers, the examiner will gently palpate the breasts. The CBE is a good time for women who don’t know how to examine their breasts to learn the right way to do it from their health care professionals and should ask their doctor or nurse to teach them and watch the technique.

Breast awareness and self-exam:

Beginning in their 20s, women should be told about the benefits and limitations of breast self-exam (BSE). Women should be aware of how their breasts normally look and feel and report any new breast changes to a health professional as soon as they are found. Finding a breast change does not necessarily mean there is a cancer. A woman can notice changes by knowing how her breasts normally look and feel and feeling her breasts for changes (breast awareness), or by choosing to use a step-by-step approach and using a specific schedule to examine her breasts.

Signs and symptoms of breast cancer:

Although widespread use of screening mammograms has increased the number of breast cancers found before they cause any symptoms, some breast cancers are not found by mammograms, either because the test was not done or because even under ideal conditions mammograms do not find every breast cancer. The most common sign of breast cancer is a new lump or mass. A mass that is painless, hard, and has irregular edges is more likely to be cancerous, but breast cancers can be tender, soft, or rounded. For this reason, it is important that any new mass, lump, or breast change is checked by a health care professional with experience in diagnosing breast diseases.

Other possible signs of breast cancer include: Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no distinct lump is felt), skin irritation or dimpling, breast or nipple pain, nipple retraction, redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin or a nipple discharge other than breast milk. Sometimes a breast cancer can spread to underarm lymph nodes and cause a lump or swelling there, even before the original tumor in the breast tissue is large enough to be felt. Swollen lymph nodes should also be reported to your doctor.

(Source: American Cancer Society)

by Dale Madison

CONCERT FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS

The Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School Lightning Singers will combine efforts with the South Florida Lambda Chorale to present “Sing for the Cure: A Proclamation of Hope,” in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit Susan B. Komen for the Cure South Florida. The concert will take place on Thursday, October 28, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School Auditorium, 1410 County Line Road, Miami.

Tickets for this one-night concert are $15 and available from the Lambda Chorale members and the students beginning Monday, October 11 or at the door.

For more information contact Gary Keating Lambdagary@aol.com or (954) 650-0143.

COME JOIN A LONG-AGO ERA

Slick back your hair or put on an amazing flapper dress because the Poverello Center is transporting you back to the ‘20s — a time before the Great Depression when modernization, economic growth as well as social progression seemed all encompassing and radio became prolific and with that the sweet jazz music and the Charleston.

Part of that transformation happens as you walk into the Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum where 35 beautifully restored Packards, which were considered the Rolls Royce automobiles from America in their day, along with literally a plethora of early automotive memorabilia will be on display to further your “Roaring 20’s” experience. Not only that, our very own jazz songtress, Kimona with be performing jazz standards from Cole Porter, Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald and Shirley Bassey for your dancing and listening pleasure.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Great Gatsby Gala is pulling out all the stops with an open bar (no Prohibition here) and delicious cuisine provided by Fort Lauderdale’s own Chef Ron Kerr. The menu consists of such items as Miso Glazed Scallops, Stuffed Risotto Croquettes, Braised Short Ribs and ending with such things as Double-Dipped Chocolate Truffle Lollipops.

Finally, Poverello presents a live, as well as a silent auction with items as varied as a sightseeing helicopter ride to Miami and back, lunch with the Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick, and an authentic guitar signed by the famed rock band, Styxx. There is much, much more offered and for a complete listing please go to www.poverello.org

FLORIDA AGENDA TOY DRIVE EXPANDING

A few weeks ago I announced that Florida Agenda would be sponsoring a Holiday Toy Drive kicking off on November 1st. I am very happy to announce our first drop off site: Island City Health and Fitness in the Shoppes of Wilton Manors! In addition to toys, we are also expanding the toy drive to include items for the Broward County Humane Society. Items can be droppedoff during regular business hours. We will also have brightly decorated drop boxes available and any business who would like to help with the collection, we’ll be happy to bring a box to their location. We will periodically pick up the deposited items and bring them to our central collection area. Please contact me at dalemadison1@aol.com or call my cell at (954) 478-2415.

Have an event you’d like to see in this column?

Please email me at dalemadison1@ aol.com