Filed under: Breast Cancer , Ovarian Cancer , Lung Cancer , Prevention Wouldn't it be great if we could receive full-body scans every year to check for early signs of cancer and other disease? Even if possible and affordable -- right now, scans cost about $900 -- it still wouldn't be such a great idea. Full-body scans often result in false alarms. People with harmless abnormalities may end up facing more tests, more risks, and more worry in order to rule out illness. The scan itself can present health hazards too. It exposes patients to more radiation than a chest X-ray and could slightly increase the risk of cancer, especially for those scanned every year. How do we know, then, if something has gone awry in our bodies? Well, we can do our self-exams -- breast exams, testicular exams, skin exams -- and we can report for annual check-ups. We can respond to symptoms we experience -- if headaches are bothersome and persistent, your doctor may prescribe a head scan -- and we can pursue tests and screening that we really need for cancer prevention and early detection. Here are just a few: Breast ultrasound In addition to mammogram, women with dense breast tissue would be wise to request this test. Mammograms miss up to 50 percent of cancers in dense breasts so having both tests offers a more comprehensive check. These ultrasound exams cost between $75 and $300. Lung scan Those 50 and older who have smoked an equivalent of one pack of cigarettes per day for at least 10 years -- or two packs per day for five years, and so on -- should try this method for detecting lung cancer in its earliest stages. Once symptoms occur, the disease is usually so advanced that most don't live for five years. Lung scans cost $250-$350. Transvaginal ultrasound Women with a family history of ovarian cancer should begin receiving this test 10 years before the earliest age a relative developed the disease. Ovarian cancer cannot be detected during a routine OB/GYN exam so most patients go undiagnosed until the cancer is advanced and deadly. If caught before it spreads, the survival rate is 85 percent, in contrast to 25 percent for late diagnoses. The transvaginal ultrasound has a high rate of false positives and is advised only for those at special risk. Source: Good Housekeeping, May 2007

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Fundraisers , Opinion , Products , Thought for the Day The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation recently revamped it's entire campaign landscape. There's been a name change -- Susan G. Komen for the Cure -- and an infusion of more than $1 million into advertising, and a logo redesign, and a whole slew of new slogans intended for magazines and websites and billboards and t-shirts. These changes mark the 25-year anniversary of one woman's gift to her sister, Susan G. Komen, who lost her battle with breast cancer at the age of 36. This gift -- the now powerful Susan G. Komen for the Cure -- is most known for its Komen Race for the Cure , a nationwide fundraising and awareness campaign featuring races attended by more than one million participants. Soon, this group may be known for even more. Sister Nancy G. Brinker, a breast cancer survivor herself, says, "It's high time we took ownership of the strides we've made and declare our uncompromising commitment." Brinker's declarations are flying. Some people think they are offensive. Others disagree. I won't share my opinion on this Thought for the Day just yet -- because I don't want to sway any opinions. But I'd love to hear your take on this Komen approach to stamping out breast cancer. Think about this: Some print and poster ads will feature a woman wearing a tank-style undershirt that says, "When we get our hands on breast cancer, we're going to punch it, strangle it, kick it, spit on it, choke it and pummel it until it's good and dead. Not just horror movie dead but really, truly dead. And then we're going to tie a pink ribbon on it." Another ad states, "We only focus on one thing. Or, depending on how you look at it, two." Another states, "If you're going to stare at my breasts, ... you could at least donate a dollar to save them." Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Testicular Cancer , Cancer by the Numbers Testicular cancer, cancer in one or both of the testicles, usually occurs in young men and will strike about 8,250 of these men this year. About 370 men will die. A man's lifetime risk of developing this cancer -- that typically shows up in only one testicle -- is 1 in 300, securing it as one of the less common cancers in the United States. The chances of dying from testicular cancer are 1 in 5,000, making it one of the most curable forms of cancer. Yet it is still the most common form of cancer in men ages 15-34. It is also a cancer commonly characterized by denial and embarrassment. As a result, it is one of the least mentioned cancers.

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Prevention , All Cancers , Research , Environment , Non-toxic alternatives , Television , Movies

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Cancer Survivors Photographs tell powerful stories. They depict people and objects and landscapes and emotions in deep, meaningful ways. They capture permanent visual representations of moments in life. They paint pictures that even the most well-crafted words could not reproduce. When Mary Ann Nilan was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 at the age of 40, she knew her story must be told -- through pictures. So she asked a photographer to record it all, stating, "I hope the pictures make the road easier for other women." The rest is history. She calls it a photo essay and titles it The Diary of Healing . For 17 frames -- with photographs dominating each space and text kept to a minimum -- Nilan shares her journey that began with the discovery of breast cancer in both breasts and several lymph nodes, the journey that took her through chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and reconstruction with implants. Her photographs document significant stops on her physical and emotional trek. They show her bald head, the wig she wore only once and then let hang on a hook, the scars that crossed her flat chest after surgery, an injection of saline that painfully pierced the skin of her new breasts, her children measuring her hair as it grows in after chemotherapy. The photographs are both hopeful and chilling. They are breast cancer. They are more than words could ever capture. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Celebrity cancer diagnosis , Cancer Survivors When Australian pop star Kylie Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2005, there was a sudden surge in the number of young women requesting breast cancer screening. Minogue's breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 37 raised concern among a younger population of women that breast cancer is a diagnosis that could potentially happen to them. Knowledge is power and education saves lives. The increase in breast cancer awareness became known as the Kylie Effect. However, the awareness that younger women can develop breast cancer has led some women to age-related conclusions about breast cancer that are not true, and this is also being referred to as the Kylie Effect. According to a recent survey of 2,289 women conducted by Cancer Research UK, 77 percent of the survey participants said that breast cancer risk was higher for women under the age of 70, and 33 percent said that women under the age of 50 were most at risk. The fact is cancer risk increases with age, and four out of five women diagnosed with breast cancer are over the age of 50. "Celebrities with breast cancer like Kylie Minogue and Caron Keating have attracted a lot of publicity -- especially in magazines aimed at younger women. This is very beneficial in that it raises awareness of breast cancer. But the down side is that it may also set up a chain of panic among young women, while misleading older women to think that ageing is not a relevant factor in breast cancer," stated Dr Lesley Walker of Cancer Research UK. For a retrospective of Kylie Minogue's breast cancer journey:

• Kylie Minogue: voted favorite traveling companion of men.
• Kylie Minogue: world exclusive interview with Sky One.
• Kylie Minogue loses close friend and personal chauffeur to cancer.
• Kylie Minogue: back on stage as a breast cancer survivor.
• Kylie Minogue: laughter is the best medicine for cancer cure.
• Dannii Minogue: sings under pressure about sister Kylie.
• Kylie Minogue breast cancer survivor glows in health.
• Kylie Minogue: cancer survivor writes children's book.
• Kylie Minogue joins women in fight for Herceptin.
• Kylie Minogue in breast cancer remission.

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Filed under: Breast Cancer , Books , Cancer Survivors Author and breast cancer survivor Barbara Delinsky has just released an updated edition of her book UPLIFT: Secrets from the Sisterhood of Breast Cancer Survivors and like her previous editions, this one delivers inspiring real-life stories from real-life survivors -- like Deb Haney, an administrative assistant diagnosed in 1996 at age 48, who reveals her secret to surviving breast cancer in the workplace. "My boss at the time was my brother. He suggested I go for radiation treatment in the morning, work a few hours, then go home and rest in the afternoons. That is what I did, because even though I looked great, I was unbelievably tired. When illness comes, we need to listen to our bodies and give them the time to rest and recover. I hadn't anticipated it, but those afternoon hours became a truly peaceful, nurturing time to read and rest and enjoy quiet time." Delinsky offers a chapter in her book called A Workplace Manual -- it's a place where survivors like Haney share strategies that helped them maintain the crucial balance between cancer and work. Delinsky writes, "What works for one woman may not work for another. What works in one job may not work in another. The thing is, you need to take a step back, think about yourself and your situation, then speak up about what may work for you. In every situation, you have choices, and the choices are all good. What pleases one woman may not please another." And so the women featured in UPLIFT share their individual choices. And their choices become options for the millions of women surviving a disease that throws everything off balance. Rosamary Amiet, a program manager diagnosed in 2000 at age 48, shares, "I juggled cancer and work by just giving up some things, like housework. I discovered that the house could go for weeks without being vacuumed or dusted -- and not only did the sky not fall, it didn't even crack!" UPLIFT is not all about the workplace. It's also about chemotherapy and losing hair and losing breasts. It's about family and humor and men. It's about religion and exercise and diagnosis. It's about help. It's about hope. It's about sisterhood -- plain and simple. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Celebrity fundraisers , Products , Cancer Survivors Grammy-award winning singer, songwriter, and breast cancer survivor Sheryl Crow was honored with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Humanitarian Award at the annual symposium and luncheon event at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Crow has joined the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF) to promote breast cancer prevention and raise funds for research in finding a cure. During her music tour with John Mayer, Crow donated 50 cents of every concert ticket sold to the breast cancer organization. She also offered a breast cancer t-shirt with her logo design for sale with 100 percent of the profits donated to BCRF. The t-shirt is now available on Crow's website. In addition, Crow has lent her support to jewelry designer Mauri Pioppo, who created a very special Sundari necklace to benefit BCRF during October. According to the product details, "Sundari is the Hindu Goddess of beauty and grace, and Mauri Pioppo was inspired by Sheryl Crow's courage in the face of her personal experience with breast cancer to createthe Sundari necklace." Crow is an incredibly talented singer songwriter. She is also an awesome lady with a healthy sense of humor. During the luncheon in which she was given the Humanitarian Award, she remarked to the audience, "In a show business world that puts so much emphasis on cleavage, I was never known for my breasts until I got breast cancer." Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Blogs , Cancer Survivors , Survivor Spotlight Almost five years later, the memory is still as vivid as if it were happening now as I tell you that while showering, I discovered a lump in my breast. My hand stopped, my breath caught, and my stomach clenched in terror. Instinctively, I knew I was in trouble. After mammogram, ultrasound, biopsy and the first of three surgeries, the diagnosis of breast cancer was not the most optimistic one. My lobular breast cancer had spread beyond the breast into lymph nodes -- and perhaps elsewhere not yet clearly detected. I would spend the next four years peering over my shoulder, wondering if the shadow of death would visit me with another cancer diagnosis, and if so, where would it settle in this time. If I ate pizza topped with jalapenos for that extra kick of flavor and got a stomach ache, I wondered -- had cancer spread to my liver? If I spent a day met with seemingly endless frustrations and annoyances and got a headache -- had the cancer spread to my brain? While there is nothing rational about these leaps to a cancer conclusion based on evidence suggesting I suffered from logically explainable modern life maladies that antacid or aspirin might easily cure, for the newly-diagnosed surviving breast cancer, it is not uncommon for the mind to immediately race to an impending cancer-based doom for every day aches and pains. I am here to tell you that for the first few years it will be quite normal to have totally unreasonable fears. Not willing to subject myself to this screeching fingernails on the blackboard fear without finding something to muffle the sound, I began creating personal rituals that suggested hope and affirmed life. With each one I was stating the value of my life and staking my claim to my future. For each woman, the personal rituals will be different. Here are a few I created that might give you some ideas for your own: Get down in the dirt. Feel the earth. In the spring and summer, I make time to garden each morning. In the fall and winter, I tend houseplants and kitchen herbs. Planting a seed or tending a plant is one of the most hopeful of acts. I sit on the riverbank and allow myself to become mesmerized by the flowing waters of the river. I go on nature hikes. More than once I have sprawled out on the ground and felt the earth underneath me. If you choose to do this, and I suggest you do try this at least once, it might be best done in the park or backyard because if you lay down, say, in the front yard, someone might call 911 concerned they are witnessing a woman passed out on her front lawn. Make new moon wishes. No, I do not believe the moon has magical powers, but using the timing of a new moon is a way of remembering to make my list, and to add to it each month. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was certainly not done living. There were things I wanted to accomplish, places I wanted to see, knowledge I wanted to explore, milestones I had not marked, finish lines I had not crossed, children who needed my mothering still, grandchildren to look forward to -- but I had never sat and wrote out any of these desires in detail. There is something about getting it down on paper that makes ideas and desires more real. I began making my list. Each month I keep adding to my list. When something on my list happens, I cross it off. Making a list seems to make more things happen. There is magic in that. Start a scrapbook. I stopped and imagined what my perfect life would look like and started drawing pictures of it and cutting out pictures to make collages on each page of the scrapbook. Who am I in my perfect life? Where am I? What am I doing? Who is with me? I add inspirational quotes and personal notations on each page. Any time during the month when I find a picture in a magazine or on the internet or stumble across a meaningful quote that appeals to me, I keep a file to store them until it is time to work on my scrapbook. I work on my scrapbook every full moon. Same principle of reminder and habit of writing my wish list at the new moon. In addition, paying attention to the phases of the moon has helped to reconnect me to the natural cadence and rhythm of nature and time. Honoring myself. Feeling gratitude. When someone tells me no, I look for a yes and walk towards it. This is an act of valuing myself. When someone tells me it cannot be done, I say I am going to go ahead and try. I do not allow myself to be discouraged. This is believing in myself. If someone hurts me, I say ouch. I am an advocate of my emotional well-being. When I first wake up, before I get out of bed, I make a quick mental note of five things I am grateful for before I have a chance to think too much about it. Not surprisingly, the list is primarily the people in my life I love and the fact I woke up. Start a savings account. I know this sounds silly, but having a savings account is a message to myself that I expect to be around for awhile. In the first two years of my breast cancer diagnosis, if a item of clothing became threadbare, I did not buy any clothing to replace it. I did not make any plans beyond the immediate month. I have gotten over that. Now, I can see myself thirty years ahead as a spritely woman with shocking white hair and a twinkle in the eye who lives in a cottage, tends her cottage garden, takes leisurely walks, enjoys visits from children, grandchildren and great-grand children, tells great stories, writes books, and travels when the road beckons. In fact, I have already started to have fun investing in my vision of what my future looks like with -- what else -- a blog about cottage life --a fluid expanding virtual act of my personal expressions of hopefulness. Earlier on, I discovered Rob Brezsny's Pronoia -- the opposite of paranoia and fear -- that suggests adopting a perspective and belief that the whole world is conspiring to shower you with blessings. Expect blessings. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Events , Fundraisers , Blogs During the first week of October, bloggers submit photos of breasts as part of a blogging breast cancer fundraiser to raise money for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Launched five years ago by Robyn Pollman, a stay-at-home mother of two toddlers who blogs Shutterbug, and is webmistress of Wholly Matrimony!, the Boobie-Thon has raised over $35,000 dollars in total. This year, the 152 bloggers participating and donors of the Boobie-Thon raised over $9,000 dollars. According to the Boobie-Thon, "Boobies. Although they come in all shapes and sizes (large, small, saggy and perky), they have one thing in common: The ability to develop cancer." Over 1500 people have contributed photos of breasts to the blog, and the website is designed to be workplace safe -- in other words, the main page of the website does not display photos of breasts. You can view photos by visiting one of the galleries of breasts . A personal note from Boobie-Thon founder Pollman regarding the history and controversy of this event can be read here -- because apparently, there are some who have objected to the Boobie-Thon and resorted to name-calling and other criticisms . Hate the pink? In an effort to raise money for breast cancer organizations with diverse philosophies but common goals in stopping breast cancer, Pollman posted, "If you don't believe in pink. If you don't believe in what we're doing here. Well then for goodness sake, believe in something and donate to Breast Cancer Action ." To be inspired in how the blogging community can create a grassroots fundraiser based on one blogger's post of an idea, visit Boobie-Thon . Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments