Picture by Horton Group
In a systematic literature review Jane Armer and a group of colleagues at University of Missouri found that exercise does not worsen or increase the risk of lymphedema for breast cancer survivors, actually the benefits of exercise outweigh the risks for breast cancer survivors and patients with lymphedema Continue reading
Susan G. Komen - Walk For Cure 2011
Team “Straight Up With a Twist” participated in the Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure in August, and raised the tremendous sum of $22,321!
Team Members are: Stroger Hospital Staff: Ashlesha Patel, MD, Radha Malapadi MD & Erika K. Radeke, MS; other members: Ruta Rao, MD, Nina Goyal, MD, Elias Name, MD, and Vanessa Begolli, MD (survivor).
We are glad to successfully finish our last year of the grant. Such strong finish will help us in the upcoming competing grant renewal process. NCI year ended in June and CTEP year ended one month later in July 2011.
Chicago MBCCOP Patient Enrollment Progress Report 2010 - 2011 (Click to enlarge)
Below you can see charts of accrual credit distribution and racial distribution of protocol patients Continue reading
Abstract title: Stage of breast cancer at presentation in non-U.S. citizens as compared to U.S. citizens. Author(s): T. Aiti, K. Grauslyte, T. Mackevicius, E. A. Marcus, G. Lazzaro, J. Greager, T. E. Lad. For more information, please visit 2010 ASCO Annual Meeting Abstracts website.
The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program offers free mammograms, breast exams, pelvic exams and Pap tests to eligible women. Now, more women than ever before can take advantage of the free screenings and treatment. Even if a woman has already been diagnosed with cancer, she may receive free treatment if she qualifies.
Since the program was launched in Illinois in 1995, over 66,000 women have been screened for breast and cervical cancers. For more information, please refer to Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program (IBCCP) website.
Breast cancer has been around for decades, but it does not have to be our future. We can be the generation that eliminates breast cancer by identifying what causes this disease and stopping it before it starts. Sign up for your sister, mother, daughter, granddaughter, best friend, and the woman you met last week. Help us eradicate breast cancer once and for all. Join the Army of Women today! For more information, please refer to The Love/Avon Army of Women website.
Have you ever found yourself laughing so hard your stomach hurt? Laughter is a great emotional release but have you ever thought of it as a form of exercise, too?
Laughter Yoga is a new physical and emotional exercise movement recently featured on Oprah. All over the world Laughter Yoga is becoming known and sought after. The fun and the health benefits are amazing, plus we all know that laughter just feels great! It’s easy to lead, anyone can do it, all ages, all walks of life. Developed by Dr. Madan Kataria of Mumbai, India, the mindbody “medicine” combines yoga breathing and laughter exercises to enhance well-being and aid in the healing process. From a medical perspective, the therapy strengthens the immune system and combats the negative effects of stress.
Laughter Yoga is echoing through the halls of Swedish Covenant Hospital and helping cancer patients focus on positive thoughts to improve their physical and mental health. The hospital recently introduced the program to patients undergoing chemotherapy…. read more.
You can find more information about Laughter Yoga at laughteryoga.org and laughteryoga.us.
Image - courtesy of mannequinstore.com
A mastectomy is when a woman’s breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let’s give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.
It takes 2 seconds to do this and is very important… You need not give more than your name, e-mail address and zip code. Follow the link to lifetimetv.com.
There’s a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It’s about eliminating the “drive-through mastectomy” where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.
Detection of a protein called p53 using a specific antibody test may be an improved biomarker for predicting worse survival in African-American women with breast cancer, according to a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The study revealed that compared to Basal Subtype, a well known marker of poor prognosis for breast cancer, only p53 status was able to independently predict significantly worse survival for African-American women.
African American women have lower breast cancer incidence rates compared to White women, but suffer survival disparity with the highest mortality rates Continue reading
Dr. Keith Dookeran
New research presented by Dr. Keith A. Dookeran at the recent ASCO 2006 Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, shows that abnormal levels of the tumor suppressor gene, p53, in breast cancer is more likely to predict survival in African-American than Hispanic or white women.
Dr. Dookeran found that for all races, p53 expression demonstrated similar trends of association and correlation with high grade, hormone receptor negative, aggressive type tumors. Survival between racial groups was not different according to p53 status, however within racial groups, abnormal p53 expression was only able to predict significantly worse survival in African-American women, and this association appeared to be independent of stage and age.
This is the first study of p53 as detected by immunohistochemistry to demonstrate a survival difference for a subset of AA women. This information is important since abnormal p53 tumor biology may be a factor which contributes to the survival disparity seen African-American women with breast cancer.
