Breast Cancer Survivorship Luncheon a Success

On September 19^th, over 60 breast cancer survivors* gathered at Cancer Services to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Held in partnership with Woman’s Hospital, the attendees enjoyed lunch and the company of fellow survivors, caregivers, family and friends.

The Breast Cancer Support Group meets every month but with the help of Woman’s, October’s meeting was larger and even more celebratory than usual, giving the opportunity to reach out to many new clients. Attendees ranged from currently in treatment to two weeks outs of treatment to thirty years out of treatment.

Breast cancer survivor and Cancer Services volunteer Sandra Cristal helped plan the event and was pleased with the huge turnout. “This is a cause that’s important to me and it was wonderful so many showed up – the room was almost too small!”

Adult Programs Coordinator Natalie Depp added, “This was a great opportunity to show that at our support groups we don’t just talk about problems and sad emotions but share friendships and celebrate where our clients are in their cancer journey.”

The Breast Cancer Support Group meets the third Wednesday every month at 11:30 at Cancer Services. For more information about this or any of our support groups, click here or call Natalie at 225-927-2273.

*Cancer Services defines a “cancer survivor” as anyone living with cancer, from the moment of diagnosis for the rest of their life.

Think Before You Pink

October is breast cancer awareness month and stores and websites have filled their shelves and pages with a myriad of pink items to benefit breast cancer research, awareness, patients and survivors. Purchasing these items can be a great way to show your support for those in your life that are living with cancer but there is concern about the legitimacy of some of these products and how much actually benefits the charities they claim to help.

The Better Business Bureau is warning people to ask questions before buying products linked to breast cancer awareness groups. They suggest the following tips for consumers interested in learning how their pink ribbon product purchases will benefit charity.

• Inspect the product itself for information. Many companies clearly report how much of their sales go to charity and specifically where the money goes.
• Check the company’s website. If the information isn’t on the product itself, it often can be found via the website printed on the product packaging.
• If you still can’t find the information, call the company and ask for it. Firms that use charity tie-ins to market their products should be transparent to consumers.
• Contact the charity directly if you have doubts they are receiving proceeds.
• Check out the charity to decide whether you believe it is worthy of your support. One way to do this is by contacting the BBB to determine whether the charity meets the BBB’s Standards for Accountability. You may reach the BBB by going to www.bbb.org or by calling 314-645-3300.

Think Before You Pink™, a project of Breast Cancer Action, launched in 2002 in response to the growing concern about the number of pink ribbon products on the market. The campaign calls for more transparency and accountability by companies that take part in breast cancer fundraising, and encourages consumers to ask critical questions about pink ribbon promotions.

P.S. If you want to be sure that your dollars are going to stay in this community and directly help those living with breast cancer and all other cancers, consider donating to Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge. For more information call 225-927-2273 or visit our website.

Q&A: Cancer Vaccines

Every Sunday, Cancer Services publishes a Cancer Q&A in the Health Section of The Advocate.

Q: What are cancer vaccines?

A: In order to understand vaccines, it is important to know about the immune system. A person’s immune system, from birth, knows to protect the body from foreign substances like bacteria and viruses and then remembers it in order to fight it off if the foreign substance tries to attack again. A vaccine is a type of medicine that helps the body prepare to fight disease and infection. A weakened version of the virus or bacteria is introduced into the body so that the immune system learns how to fight it.

There are two types of vaccines: preventative and treatment. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved three preventative vaccines, Gardasil®, Cervarix®, and a vaccine for the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Gardasil® and Cervarix®, protect against two types of HPV (types 16 and 18) that are responsible for 70% of cervical cancer cases. The HBV vaccine is important because it prevents hepatitis B infections, which can lead to liver cancer. Most children receive this vaccine shortly after birth.

The first treatment vaccine for cancer was approved in April 2010. Provenge® is approved for use in some men with metastatic prostate cancer. It is designed to stimulate an immune response to prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP), an antigen that is found on most prostate cancer cells. In a clinical trial, sipuleucel-T increased the survival of men with a certain type of metastatic prostate cancer by about 4 months.

Other treatment vaccines are still in the development phase, being tested to see if they can prevent a cancer from growing, keep a cancer from recurring, shrink tumors, or kill cancer cells left by other treatments.

For more information contact Courtney Britton, librarian at Cancer Services of Greater Baton Rouge at (225) 927-2273, cbritton@cancerservices.org or visit the Resource Center at 550 Lobdell Avenue.

from BioMed Central

"I'm pregnant and I have breast cancer"
"Pregnancy is infrequently complicated by the diagnosis of a concurrent breast cancer. This presents a particularly complicated clinical problem." View the provisional paper on this topic.


from Yale Cancer Center:

Yale Cancer Center Answers
"Yale Cancer Center Answers is a weekly radio show focused on cancer screening, detection, treatment, and prevention to provide the latest information to listeners in Connecticut. Hosted by Yale Cancer Center’s Dr. Edward Chu, Deputy Director and Chief of Medical Oncology, and Dr. Kenneth Miller, Director of Supportive Care and the Connecticut Challenge Survivorship Clinic, the show features a guest cancer specialist who will share the most recent advances in cancer therapy and respond to listeners’ questions."


from American Cancer Society:

Reducing Cancer Disparities One Patient at a Time
"Electra D. Paskett, PhD, and her team are working with 12 primary care practices throughout Columbus to recruit 1,200 patients with abnormal cancer screening results. Patients at six of the clinics can choose to receive patient navigator assistance, while patients at the other six clinics will receive usual care, in the form of written materials.
The study will concentrate on cancers for which screening tests are available: breast, cervix, and colon."

from St. Jude:

Study of leukemia survivors gives hints for better care
"The longest follow-up study ever conducted with survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) shows the importance of monitoring former patients through the years. This process will help clinicians identify complications that might develop and modify current treatments to reduce those risks, according to St. Jude investigators."


from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology:

IMRT Allows Higher Radiation Therapy Dose for Breast Cancer
"Women with breast cancer who receive higher doses of radiation with IMRT each day can reduce their treatment time by two weeks without increasing side effects, according to a study released today in the June 1 issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology."


from M.D. Anderson

Sunscreen and Summer Sun Safety
"As part of National Skin Cancer Awareness Month this May, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is encouraging everyone to learn more about the proper application of sunscreen to lower their lifetime risk of developing skin cancer."


from the American Institute for Cancer Research:

Soda: The Newest Health Food?
"One thing’s for certain, America has a soft drink habit...This spring, Coke is launching a “nutrient-enhanced” version of Diet Coke, which, according to the nutrition label, includes 25 percent of the recommended daily allowance of several B vitamins, as well as 15 percent of the RDA for magnesium and zinc.
Pepsi is also rolling out new “healthy” drinks they call “sparkling beverages” (“soda” is so 20th century), including the vitamin-fortified Tava and Diet Pepsi Max, an energy drink with increased caffeine and ginseng. Soda executives call diet and light sodas their “health and wellness brands..."

from the American Cancer Society:

Psychosocial Support for Cancer Survivors Needs Strengthening
"While one in four cancer survivors participates in a support group after diagnosis, use of support groups varies considerably by cancer type, and few survivors receive referrals to such programs from their physicians, according to a new study. Published in the June 15, 2007 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study finds that cancer survivors are more likely to attend a support group compared to people with other chronic conditions, but there is little active support for such use by treating physicians."

Mammography Rates Declining In the United States
"Since 2000 mammography rates have declined significantly in the United States, according to a new study."

from Discovery Health

Podcast Your Story
Click on the link above to see how you can share your story with others!


from the American Cancer Society:

Study Links Breast Cancer Decline to Quitting Hormones
"The new findings show that breast cancer rates stabilized at that new lower level between 2003 and 2004 -- as did use of HRT. Moreover, the decline in breast cancer incidence was seen only in women 50 or older (those most likely to have used hormone therapy) and was greater for estrogen-receptor-positive tumors (the kind fueled by hormone therapy) compared to those with no estrogen receptors.
This suggests that declining hormone use was the primary factor behind the drop in breast cancer, according to lead researcher Peter Ravdin, PhD, MD, and his colleagues."

from the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology:

Cancer Patients Relying More on Friends, Family for Treatment Advice
"Making treatment decisions with the help of family and friends is on the rise, as people widen their sources of information beyond the advice of their doctors and increasingly use the Internet and other public sources of data. In 2003, 56 percent of cancer patients and their families made their decision based upon the advice of their oncologist and 45 percent said they made their decision with the help of their primary care physician. However, in 2007, only 50 percent relied on the advice of their oncologist and 41 percent said they relied on their primary care doctor."


from Reuter's Health:

Yoga shown to help women with breast cancer
"Women with breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast may benefit from participating in a tailored yoga program that includes gentle yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation, new research suggests."


from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center:

Researchers uncover mutated genes involved in lung cancer; one affects nonsmokers
"Lung cancer patients who have never smoked are more likely than smokers to harbor one of two genetic mutations that researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have now linked to the disease. "This study describes the first known mutation to occur in lung cancer patients who have never smoked," said Dr. Adi Gazdar, professor of pathology in the Nancy B. and Jake L. Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research and senior author of the study in today's issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 'These findings may help explain why certain lung cancer patients respond dramatically to a specific form of targeted therapy while others have little or no response.' "

from the American Cancer Society:

American Cancer Society Issues Recommendation on MRI for Breast Cancer Screening
"An expert panel convened by the American Cancer Society has developed new recommendations for the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for women at increased risk for breast cancer, and recommends annual screening using MRI in addition to mammography for women with a 20-25 percent or greater lifetime risk of the disease."


from the Mayo Clinic:

Cryoablation -- A New Treatment Option for Some Kidney Tumor Patients
"Mayo Clinic researchers report that freezing kidney tumors through percutaneous cryoablation shows promise for patients who are not good candidates for surgery. Their early findings showing short-term success in more than 90 percent of selected patients are published in this month's issue of Radiology."


from the White House:

April is Cancer Control Month
"Cancer Control Month is an opportunity to educate all Americans about cancer, to raise awareness about treatments, and to renew our commitment to fighting this deadly disease."


from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
"Adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated on Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ALL Consortium protocols have better outcomes than published results from other studies, according to a report in the March 1st issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology."

from the National Cancer Institute:

NCI Clinical Trial Results: Low-Fat Diet May Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer Relapse
"Postmenopausal women who ate a low-fat diet were less likely to get a recurrence of breast cancer than those who ate a standard diet. This is the first time a large randomized clinical trial has shown that a low-fat diet can reduce the chance of breast cancer coming back."

from MedlinePlus and Reuter's Health Information:

Dietary vitamin C may prevent oral pre-cancer
"Vitamin C from dietary sources, but not from supplements, is associated with a reduced risk of oral pre-malignant lesions in men, a new study indicates."

from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services:

Guide to Health Care Quality
"This guide is designed to help you get quality health care. Getting quality health care can help you stay healthy and recover faster when you become sick.
The tips presented here are provided to help you be active in making decisions about your health care. The goal is to make sure you receive the best possible care."

from the FDA:

FDA Approves Tykerb for Advanced Breast Cancer Patients
"The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved Tykerb (lapatinib), a new targeted anti-cancer treatment, to be used in combination with capectabine (Xeloda), another cancer drug, for patients with advanced, metastatic breast cancer that is HER2 positive (tumors that exhibit HER2 protein)."

from the International Agency on Research for Cancer:

Sunbed use in youth unequivocally associated with skin cancer
"Melanoma is on the increase everywhere in the world and the number of cases doubles every 12-15 years in the most affected areas...
The data showed a prominent and consistent increase in risk for melanoma in people who first used sunbeds in their twenties or teen years: a 75% increase in risk of melanoma was calculated for such users of artificial tanning appliances, while this increase in the general population, although not statistically significant, is still not negligible."

from SickKids Hospital (an affiliate of the University of Toronto):

SickKids researchers find prenatal multivitamins reduces risk of childhood cancers
"Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have found that taking prenatal multivitamins fortified with folic acid can reduce the risk of three common childhood cancers: leukemia, brain tumours and neuroblastoma. This research was published online on February 21, 2007, in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics."


from the American Cancer Society:

Cancer Patients Can More Easily Navigate Health Care System Thanks to the American Cancer Society and AstraZeneca
"With major support from AstraZeneca, the American Cancer Society will accelerate development of at least 50 new Patient Navigator Program sites over the next five years in communities throughout the United States."


from the University of California in San Diego:

Study Shows Liver an Excellent Target for Cancer Gene Therapy Using Viral Vectors
"A featured paper in the February 14 issue of Nature Cancer Gene Therapy demonstrates that cancer cells in the liver are excellent targets for gene therapy using adenoviral vectors, based upon a fundamental new understanding of the differences between cancerous and normal liver cells. The findings signal a new way to treat cancers that have spread to the liver, such as metastatic cancers of the colon and breast."


from Sister Study:

The Sister Study
This is a study seeking participants of the environmental and genetic risk factors for Breast Cancer.
"The Sister Study is the only long-term study of women aged 35 to 74 whose sister had breast cancer. It is a national study to learn how environment and genes affect the chances of getting breast cancer. In the next 3 years, 50,000 women whose sister had breast cancer, and who do not have breast cancer themselves will be asked to join the study."

Cancer News


From the American Cancer Society:

Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Prevention: Summary
"This document is a condensed version of the article describing the American Cancer Society (ACS) Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines, which are updated every 5 years. The guidelines were developed by the American Cancer Society 2006 Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee and approved by the American Cancer Society National Board of Directors on May 19, 2006. The full article, written for heath care professionals, is published in the September/October 2006 issue of CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, and is available for free online at: http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/content/vol56/issue5/ "

Symptom Screening Advances Early Ovarian Cancer Detection
"Physicians generally consider ovarian cancer to be a “silent killer"...There is no effective screening test to detect early stage disease in the general population or even high-risk groups.
Recent evidence suggests that early-stage symptoms may be recognizable and could be used to develop a symptom index for early disease."


From MD Anderson:

Decline in Breast Cancer Cases Likely Linked to Reduced Use of Hormone Replacement
"But the researchers stress that because the analysis is based solely on population statistics, they cannot know for certain the reasons why incidence declined. "We have to sound a cautionary note because epidemiology can never prove causation," he says. They considered whether other effects may be involved (such as decreased use of screening mammography and changes in the use of anti-inflammatory agents, SERMs or statins) but only the potential impact of HRT was strong enough to explain the effect."

Allergy Drug Slows Pancreatic Tumor Growth in Preclinical Studies
"An anti-allergy drug in use for more than 40 years significantly reduced tumor growth in animal models of human pancreatic cancer and also increased the effectiveness of standard chemotherapy, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
In the Dec. 20 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the investigators report that combining the drug, cromolyn, with chemotherapy was nearly three times better at retarding growth of pancreatic tumors in mice compared to the chemotherapy agent gemcitabine alone.
The finding may lead to a treatment advance for patients with pancreatic cancer, believed to be the most lethal of all cancers. More than 95% of patients diagnosed with the disease die from it, and half of those deaths occur in the first six months after diagnosis."

Study Finds Lapatinib Shows Promise as Therapy for Inflammatory Breast Cancer: First multi-center clinical trial conducted for women with this rare disease
"In the first multi-center and international clinical trial conducted to better understand the complexities of a rare, aggressive and often lethal form of breast cancer, researchers have discovered that the experimental biological agent, lapatinib, successfully and specifically treats inflammatory breast cancer (IBC)."


From MacMillan Cancer Support:

Thousands of cancer patients lose their homes
Even though this survey was done in the UK, I think it's an important issue.
"New research out today shows one in seventeen (6%) people lose their home after being diagnosed with cancer and one in six (18%) have difficulties in keeping up with their mortgage or rental payments, according to Macmillan Cancer Support."


From UNC Chapel Hill Medical School:

Drug combination slows progression of treatment-resistant bone marrow cancer
"Combining a newly formulated drug with one that is already a standard treatment slows the progression of multiple myeloma, an advanced cancer of the bone marrow cells, according to a clinical trial led by a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine researcher. "


From Google:

Cancer was the #3 Top Search of 2006 in Google News, right under Paris Hilton and Orlando Bloom.


Cancer-related Websites:

I'm Too Young for This
Website for cancer survivors.