Monkey Butter's blog: "awareness"

The following list of Web sites includes government health links and resources about breast cancer. General Information Medline Plus Health Topics (A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health) * Breast Cancer Information for the public and health professionals National Cancer Institute (NCI) * Breast Cancer Information for the public and health professionals * What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer Information about possible causes, screening, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care * General Information about Breast Cancer Treatment * Prevention, Genetics, Causes Information related to prevention, genetics, and risk factors * Breast Cancer Statistics Information related to cancer incidence, mortality, and survival American Cancer Society * What Is Breast Cancer?* * The Asian Pacific Islander Cancer Education Materials Tool (APICEM)* is designed to help Asians and Pacific Islanders with limited English-speaking abilities gain access to information on how to reduce their risks of preventable cancers including breast, cervix, colon, liver, lung, and stomach. Symptoms of Breast Cancer National Cancer Institute (NCI) * What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer: Symptoms Information about possible causes, screening, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care Risk Factors for Breast Cancer National Cancer Institute (NCI) * Cancer Causes and Risk Factors * What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer: Risk Factors Reducing Risks of Breast Cancer National Cancer Institute (NCI) * Prevention, Genetics, Causes: Reducing Risks This site has to do with prevention, genetics, and risk factors Guide to Community Preventive Services * Increasing Breast, Cervical, and Colorectal Screening* Gives suggestions on how communities can increase breast cancer screening Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T. * Breast Cancer: 5 Steps to Effective Cancer Control Planning Shares information that can help planners, program staff, and researchers prepare and put into action different cancer control programs Screening and Testing for Breast Cancer Mammograms can cut breast cancer deaths by as much as one-third, but fewer women are getting them. CDC's Get Your Mammogram! podcast explains why this is a troubling trend. Information about ways to detect breast cancer that has been reviewed by cancer experts: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (A service provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) * Screening for Breast Cancer National Cancer Institute (NCI) * Screening and Testing Diagnosis National Cancer Institute (NCI) * What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer: Diagnosis Kinds of Treatment Information about treatment, including surgery, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, biologic therapy, and radiation. National Cancer Institute (NCI) * Breast Cancer Treatment for Patients * Breast Cancer Treatment for Health Professionals * Male Breast Cancer Treatment for Patients * Male Breast Cancer Treatment for Health Professionals * Breast Cancer and Pregnancy for Patients * Breast Cancer and Pregnancy for Health Professionals * Herceptin Improves Breast Cancer Survival * Bevacizamab Improves Breast Cancer Survival * More Information * Physicians Data Query (PDQ) An NCI database that contains the latest information about cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine, plus clinical trials. Clinical Trials Information and current news about clinical trials and trial-related breast cancer data. National Cancer Institute (NCI) * Breast Cancer Trial Results * How to Find a Cancer Treatment Trial * Search for Clinical Trials * Introduction to Clinical Trials * Guide to Finding Clinical Trials National Institutes of Health * ClinicalTrials.gov American Cancer Society * Guide to Clinical Trials* Complementary and Alternative Medicine Different points of view, approaches, and therapies used in addition to, or instead of, standard treatments. National Cancer Institute (NCI) * What You Need to Know About Breast Cancer: Complementary and Alternative Medicine Choosing a Treatment Plan American Cancer Society * Getting a Second Opinion* * Talking with Your Doctor* Survivorship The following list includes links to resources for those living with breast cancer and those who care about them. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) * Cancer Survivorship * Trends in Cancer Survivorship * Survivorship Resources Decision Help Information to help you make important decisions about your health. * Ottawa Personal Decision Guide* The Ottawa Health Research Institute Global Inventory of Decision Aids is a collection of decision aids from a range of sources, designed to help people make decisions about a variety of health issues, including prevention of and treatment for breast cancer. *Links to non-Federal organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service to our users. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at these links. Page last reviewed: September 3, 2008 Page last updated: March 21, 2008 Content source: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Comparing Breast Cancer in Different U.S. States In the following maps, the U.S. states are divided into groups based on the rates at which women developed or died from breast cancer in 2004, which is the most recent year with numbers available. The rates are the numbers out of 100,000 women who developed or died from breast cancer each year. Rates of Getting Breast Cancer by State The number of people who get breast cancer is called the breast cancer incidence. In the United States, the risk of getting breast cancer varies from state to state. Female Breast Cancer Incidence Rates,* by State, 2004† Map of the United States showing female breast cancer incidence rates by state in 2004. The states with the breast cancer incidence rates in the first interval (102.9 to 110.7 per 100,000) include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Texas. The states with incidence rates in the second interval (110.8 to 118.5 per 100,000) include Alaska, California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The states with incidence rates in the third interval (118.6 to 126.2 per 100,000) include Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The states with incidence rates in the fourth interval (126.3 to 134.0 per 100,000) include Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington; the District of Columbia is in the fourth interval. Maryland did not meet USCS publication criteria. *Rates are per 100,000 and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. †Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 2004 Incidence and Mortality. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2007. Deaths from Breast Cancer by State Rates of dying from breast cancer also vary from state to state. Female Breast Cancer Death Rates,* by State, 2004† Map of the United States showing female breast cancer death rates by state in 2004. The state with the breast cancer death rate in the first interval (15.6 to 18.6 per 100,000) is Hawaii. The states with death rates in the second interval (18.7 to 21.6 per 100,000) include Alaska, Maine, and Rhode Island. The states with death rates in the third interval (21.7 to 24.6 per 100,000) include Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The states with the death rates in the fourth interval (24.7 to 27.6 per 100,000) include Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia; the District of Columbia is in the fourth interval. *Rates are per 100,000 and are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. standard population. †Source: U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 2004 Incidence and Mortality. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2007. Page last reviewed: September 3, 2008 Page last updated: December 10, 2007 Content source: Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Most people who have breast cancer have surgery to remove the cancer. The surgeon may also take out some or all of the lymph nodes under your arm to find out if the cancer has spread to this area. After surgery, you may have radiation therapy to destroy cancer cells. You may also get chemotherapy or hormone therapy. These are powerful medicines that travel through your body to kill cancer cells. You might have radiation, chemotherapy, or hormone therapy before surgery to help shrink the cancer. Depending on the stage of your cancer, you may have a choice of: * Surgery to remove just the cancer from the breast (breast-conserving surgery, or lumpectomy). You will need to have several weeks of radiation after surgery. * Surgery to remove the breast (mastectomy). If you choose mastectomy, you can have an operation to make a new breast. This is called breast reconstruction. Sometimes radiation is not needed after a mastectomy. In years past, having breast cancer meant that you would have to have your breast removed. In many cases, this is no longer true. Studies now show that for early-stage breast cancer, breast-conserving surgery followed by radiation therapy is as good as mastectomy.1 You and your doctor will decide which mix of treatments is right for you based on many factors. These include facts about your cancer as well as your family history, other health problems, and your feelings about keeping your breast. Learn all you can about breast cancer and its treatment so you can make the choices that are right for you. Treatments for breast cancer can cause side effects. Your doctor can let you know what problems to expect and help you find ways to manage them. Finding out that you have breast cancer can cause a range of feelings, from sadness and fear to anger and despair. If your emotions are making it hard for you to move ahead, be sure to tell your doctor. You may be able to get counseling or find a support group. Talking with other people who have faced the same choices can be a big help.

http://www.breastcanceroptions.org/MIDHUDSONOPTIONSPROJEC.asp Breast Cancer Options -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPPORT, HEALTH ADVOCACY & INFORMATION THINK PINK LOCALLY! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BCO is an organization of survivors and their supporters who understand that a woman diagnosed with breast cancer is suddenly faced with some of the most important decisions she will ever make about her own healthcare. In deciding on a plan of action, it is important to understand: That all questions are good ones Which information is credible and reliable What statistics really mean Which lifestyle changes make a difference How complementary medicine can be integrated in treatment That you do not have to face all this, including physician visits, by yourself Whether you need information, advocacy, or support to meet the challenge of breast cancer, we are just a phone call, an e-mail, or a web site away. We want to be there for you! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR MISSION Our mission is to educate breast cancer patients about effective treatment options, to advocate for and support informed patient choice and to promote public awareness regarding cancer risk reduction. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR FOCUS Today, five women are dying every hour from breast cancer and no one knows why. One woman in eight will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. New York women are at even greater risk and at present there is no explanation.Our ultimate goal is to see the end of this epidemic through education, public awareness and legislation. We reach out to the women of our community whose lives have been touched by breast cancer and hope to provide support and create in them the positive effects of activism. To work on cancer-related issues through education and political action. To work with health care professionals to provide and train volunteers to support women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer. To support investigations into all the environmental issues that relate to breast cancer. To insure that everyone has access to quality healthcare once they are diagnosed with breast cancer. To make sure that patients get access to all pertinent health information so that they can make informed treatment decisions. To conduct Doctor/Patient Roundtables to improve communication between a patient and their doctor. To identify and lower the risk factors associated with breast cancer. To offer the latest research information in prevention & treatment options. To offer an open forum for emotional support as well as political involvement. To remember and seek out the healing power in words, poetry, art, music and touch. To see this disease eradicated-within the coming generation-if not for us, then for our daughters, our sons, and their children. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- BREAST CANCER OPTIONS, a grassroots organization focusing on Health Advocacy, Support and Education. The information on this website is intended for educational purposes only, in order to help you make informed health choices and may not have been touched upon by your doctors. We are not doctors and we do not recommend any particular treatments. We are including this information to advise you of the complete scientific overview that is currently available, although we may not necessarily endorse it. Website Design Copyright © 2008 CharityAdvantage.com

SPECIAL REPORT: New Drug Breakthrough for Advanced Breast Cancer By Mary Batten Lapatinib, an experimental drug with the brand name Tykerb, promises to become a major treatment option and perhaps a new standard of care for women with HER2/neu-positive breast cancer that becomes resistant to trastuzumab (Herceptin). Results from a phase III international multicenter trial, reported June 3, 2006, at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Atlanta, Georgia, showed that women with metastatic breast cancer who were given a combination of lapatinib and capecitabine (brand name Xeloda) went almost twice as long before their cancer progressed as women who took capecitabine only. These results were so impressive that in March 2006, an independent committee monitoring the study unanimously recommended stopping the trial early and offering women in the capecitabine-only group the choice of switching to lapatinib. "This is one of the most striking differences seen to date in breast cancer oncology. It's a major breakthrough," says oncologist John Link, MD, director of Breastlink Medical Group in Manhattan Beach, California, and founder of the Breastlink.org website. Dr. Link points out that over time, many women with HER2/neu-positive breast cancer will become resistant to trastuzumab. Until the results of the lapatinib trial were announced, the only other treatment option for these patients was to combine trastuzumab with a taxane, such as paclitaxel. Recent studies showed that trastuzumab could enhance the effectiveness of certain chemotherapy agents. About 20 percent of breast cancers overexpress, or make too many copies of, the HER2 gene, an abnormal protein. In the late 1980s, Dr. Dennis Slamon, an oncologist and researcher at UCLA, discovered that the abnormal protein located on the cancer cells' surface was a growth factor receptor. (HER stands for human epidermal growth factor receptor.) Cancer cells that make too much HER2 are faster growing and more difficult to treat. The development of the molecular targeted drug trastuzumab in the late 1990s by Dr. Slamon and the genetics research company Genentech revolutionized the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. Lapatinib is the most significant development since trastuzumab for this type of cancer. Like trastuzumab, lapatinib targets the HER2/neu protein but it works differently. Trastuzumab blocks the protein on the cell's surface; lapatinib blocks it inside the cell and it also blocks a second abnormal protein known as HER1. "One of the mechanisms proposed for the resistance to Herceptin is that there's a HER1 receptor and somehow the signal can bypass HER2 and go through the HER1 system to the cell nucleus. Lapatinib blocks both the HER2 and the HER1 message," Dr. Link says. In the clinical trial reported at ASCO, lapatinib also showed signs of being able to prevent cancer from metastasizing to the brain. Four of the 161 women given lapatinib and capecitabine developed brain metastasis compared to 16 of the 160 women who received capecitabine alone. "This is an effective treatment that should be considered the new standard of care," said Charles E. Geyer, Jr., MD, Director of Breast Medical Oncology at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh and the principal investigator of the phase III study. But before it can become the standard of care, it must be approved for use in clinical practice. Lapatinib is currently an investigational drug that is approved only for use in clinical trials, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted fast track status for commercial production to GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical company that manufacturers the drug. "Things are going to happen very quickly now," says Dr. Link. He points out that GlaxoSmithKline is initiating a number of protocols to investigate several questions: "One is whether lapatinib in combination with Herceptin is better than Herceptin alone in advanced breast cancer. There's a protocol in place recruiting women with relapse in the central nervous system. In the not-too-distant future, it might even be possible to talk in terms of curing HER2-positive breast cancer, says Dr. Link. "That may be hyperbole but the result of this trial is so sensational with such advanced disease that we now have two extremely powerful tools to treat women with this kind of disease. Lapatinib in combination with Herceptin may prove to be basically curative. Now that's speculation and it's very optimistic but I don't think it's unrealistic. This is a huge breakthrough." GlaxoSmithKline has opened an Expanded Access Program (EAP) that allows women all over the world to have access to lapatinib if they qualify. In order to qualify, a woman must have metastatic breast cancer that has progressed on Herceptin after treatment with Adriamycin and taxanes. For more information about this program, call 1-888-4TYKERB (489-5372). Physicians outside the United States should e-mail: breastcancereap@gks.com top...

Breast cancer in men (male breast cancer) Breast cancer in men (male breast cancer) Date updated: August 31, 2007 Kathe Gallagher, MSW Content provided by Healthwise What is male breast cancer? Many people believe that only women have breast cancer. Although very rare, about 1% of breast cancer occurs in adult males.1, 2 It develops in the small amount of breast tissue found behind a man's nipple. What causes male breast cancer? Although the exact cause of breast cancer is not known, most experts agree that some men have a greater risk for breast cancer than others. Factors that may increase a man's risk of breast cancer include:3 * Advancing age. Although it can occur in younger men, most men diagnosed with breast cancer are older than 65. * A history of testicular cancer or liver disease. * A family history of breast cancer, especially if a mother, father, or sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age. Having several relatives diagnosed with colon or ovarian cancer also increases a man's risk of breast cancer. * Other hereditary factors, such as mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. * Exposure to estrogen, such as might occur during treatment for prostate cancer. * Exposure to radiation, such as during treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma. * Klinefelter syndrome, a genetic disorder in which an extra chromosome is present. What are the symptoms? The most common symptom of male breast cancer is a painless lump or swelling behind the nipple. Other symptoms can include a discharge from the nipple or a lump or thickening in the armpit. Although most men diagnosed with breast cancer are older than 65, breast cancer can appear in younger men. For this reason, any breast lump in an adult male is considered abnormal. How is male breast cancer diagnosed? Most male breast cancer is diagnosed with a biopsy to investigate a lump or thickening in the breast or armpit. Because there is no routine screening for breast cancer and a breast lump does not usually cause pain, sometimes breast cancer isn't discovered until it has spread to another area of the body and is causing other symptoms. How is it treated? The main treatment for male breast cancer is surgery (mastectomy) to remove the breast. Because most men do not have very much breast tissue, breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) is not used. Radiation therapy is not routinely used to treat breast cancer in men. Medicines (chemotherapy) to destroy any remaining cancer cells are used after surgery to reduce the chance that breast cancer will come back somewhere else in the body. If the breast cancer is sensitive to certain hormones (meaning that the cells have estrogen/progesterone receptors), male breast cancer is treated with a hormone-blocking agent called tamoxifen. Male breast cancer usually responds very well to chemotherapy or hormone therapy. What to think about Male breast cancer is rare and makes up only about 1% of all breast cancers discovered each year. For this reason, many experts encourage men with breast cancer to talk to their doctors about clinical trials. These trials continue to look for better ways to treat male breast cancer. References Citations 1. Paley PJ (2001). Screening for the major malignancies affecting women: Current guidelines. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 184(5): 1021–1030. 2. Gradishsar WJ (2000). Special therapeutic problems. In JR Harris et al., eds., Diseases of the Breast, 2nd ed., pp. 661–667. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. 3. Gradishar WJ (2004). Male breast cancer. In JR Harris et al., eds., Diseases of the Breast, 3rd ed., pp. 983–990. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

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http://www.marrow.org/ Your Contributions Make a Difference Private gifts. Public good. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is dedicated to making sure every patient has the best possible chance to receive the life-saving transplant he or she needs. Working together We work with individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations to improve access to treatment by: * Providing financial assistance to patients in need * Conducting community and nationwide drives to add donors to our Registry * Sponsoring research initiatives to improve transplant survival rates With your help With your help, more patients can access the treatment they so desperately need. * Make a contribution to support our life-changing work. The Marrow Foundation The Marrow Foundation® serves the NMDP by providing opportunities for individuals, corporations, foundations and organizations to financially support our work. * Learn more about The Marrow Foundation and its fund-raising and outreach efforts * Learn how Rick Hendrick turned a personal challenge into a fund-raising program to help patients in need of transplant — The Hendrick Marrow Program