Filed under: Thought for the Day I recently read this article, which states that children undergoing leukemia treatment generally have lower than average marks in school , particularly those who underwent cranial radiation. This was not because they missed school from being in a hospital -- they were provided with education whether at home or in the hospital. Still, the results are a relief to researchers because the majority of children who had undergone treatment did complete their basic education, albeit with a bit more difficulty than their healthy peers. What do you think about this? I'm no education expert, but I think it's important that kids with leukemia should have some sort of extra educational help available to them -- maybe a tutoring program that can help them in the learning process. Afterall, they've gone through enough with their illness -- they shouldn't have to suffer through the humiliation of falling behind in class too. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Cancer Survivors Walking into my cancer center waiting room is one of my most sobering experiences. I enter this room -- jam-packed full of men, women, and children -- every three months for a breast cancer follow-up. It never gets easier. It always startles me, stirs my emotions, makes me realize how so many people are touched by such a treacherous and all-consuming disease. The fact that I sit in this room, that I am one of these many people, still doesn't seem real. It's been almost three years since I got a phone call from a surgeon declaring, "You have cancer." I didn't believe it then. Even after all I've been through -- surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and more -- I hardly believe it now. But it's real. I have scars and new hair and a whole new set of worries to prove it. Walking into that waiting room proves it's real. There's nothing like it. There's also nothing like walking out, with a clean bill of health and the promise of three more months. Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

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 , Radiation I hate it when I fit the mold for some not-so-great research finding. Like the recent news about how women with early-stage cancer of the left breast (that's me) who are treated with radiation following lumpectomy (me again) face an increased risk of developing radiation-related coronary damage. OK, so the benefits of radiation therapy still outweigh the risks. Still, when radiation is applied to the breast on the same side as the heart, there are worries. I knew about these concerns. My radiation oncologist addressed them prior to my treatment. Hearing that an actual, important, convincing study confirms what I already knew may be a side effect, though, makes my heart race a little bit more. There were 961 women with stage I and II breast cancer who were followed in this study. Well, the arteries in their hearts were studied anyway. Some had left-sided breast cancer; the others had right-sided. Some 12 years after radiation, 46 of the 485 left-sided women and 36 of the right-sided group needed cardiac stress testing. Among those tested, 59 percent in the left-sided group had abnormalities. Only 8 percent in the right-sided group showed problems. On a positive note: now that I know this heart issue is for real, I can push for careful monitoring and long-term follow-up to assess my risk. And I can keep walking and running and eating right -- so I can keep my heart in tip-top, post-radiation shape.

Filed under: Prevention , Research I rarely use my microwave and when I do, I try not to be in the same room as it. Silly? Yes, but somehow I can't shake the feeling that something about nuking food with radiation isn't right. So I use the oven to heat things up more often than not, and it's not that much of a hassle. Should we all be concerned about microwave safety? Fitsugar asked this same question and their answer is no. The amount of radiation that is leaked isn't harmful and there are several safety features designed to keep the radiation inside. Are you wary of your microwave? Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Throat Cancer , Diets , Nutrition I recently received an e-mail from a friend, about a friend of hers who has just been diagnosed with throat cancer. After a little thought about the content of her message, I sat down and typed a response. I share our back-and-forth communication with you today because it may help you, a friend, a family member, someone. And it may motivate some of you to contribute your own wisdom on the topic. If it does, by all means -- please share by leaving a comment. Jacki,

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Daily news Last Tuesday night, I watched Greta Van Susteren of Fox News' On The Record as she interviewed Brittany Lietz, Miss Maryland 2006. Greta asked Brittany what her Miss Maryland job entails. Brittany told Greta her full-time job is to represent her platform -- skin cancer. Brittany didn't choose just any topic for her platform. She chose one that is entirely personal. Skin cancer has left more than 20 scars on Brittany's body. One, on her back, marks the site where a stage two melanoma was removed when she was just 19 years old. It presented as a mole, a little smaller than a nickel, she says. In all likelihood, the cancer was caused by two years of tanning bed use. Brittany says she probably tanned every day for two years. Her pursuit of bronzed skin began when she was 17 and wanted a tan for her prom. It ended after doctors told her she had cancer. Brittany's cancer was caught early and both she and her dermatologist believe her prognosis is good. Between Brittany's vigilant monitoring of her own skin and her every-three-month doctor visits, anything suspicious that pops up will surely be detected. Greta asked Brittany's dermatologist what it is about skin cancer that we just don't get. Here is what she said: UV radiation is a carcinogen .

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Chemotherapy , Radiation , Cancer Survivors , Survivor Spotlight , Surgery I have known my friend Claire for years (she asked that her last name not be used). So, I remember the shock I felt three years ago when I found out that she had breast cancer. Malignant breast cancer, we whispered to ourselves. Claire had been teaching English for Dole Fruit in Honduras. She came home that summer, and she never went back, even though she had another year left in her contract. Even though we have talked about her experiences over the years, we had never done so formally before she agreed to talk to me for this Survivor Spotlight. She came over and I poured her coffee (black) and we went out back to my studio/office to chat. How did you find out you had breast cancer? I went in for a routine mammogram. I had been having mammograms for about the past ten years or so. But I missed the previous year! So, after I found out that I had cancer, I was mortified that I had forgotten the previous year. But actually, I had a benign cyst years earlier, when I was younger and hadn't gone through as much. That was actually much scarier. How did you find out it was malignant? Needle biopsy. But I had warning -- the radiologist was pretty sure it was bad, so he gave me warning. The biopsy was just to make sure. What were your treatments? I had a lumpectomy. (She showed me her scar, which just looked like a little dent in her breast, at the top). Then I had a pretty standard treatment of two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. Then, I did a year of Herceptin. I was really lucky because it was new then. In fact, my doctors didn't think my insurance company would go for it, but I had such good insurance. They said, "Absolutely, anything." I had a particularly aggressive type of cancer, and special receptors. The Herceptin goes right to the HER2 receptor and there are no side effects. We called it the Not-Chemo, because it doesn't break down your system. Though, I had Ativan for the nauseau for the chemo, and it worked great. Did you smoke pot? No. So, how did you tell your family you had breast cancer ? (Laughs) Oh, the usual for me. I called them [her two sons, Logan and Morgan; Claire is a widow] on the phone and said, "Bad news, but not to worry!"

Filed under: Breast Cancer , Products , Services , Daily news , Thought for the Day My husband came up with this idea he thought I should pursue. Why not contact the makers of bras, he suggested, and encourage them to sew some kind of pink ribbon or inspirational message inside these undergarments so women are reminded of the importance of breast health every time they get dressed? Because I don't have enough time right now, I told him, thinking maybe one day when my two little boys are all grown up and I have time for myself I will focus my energy on some worthwhile cause. A few days after my husband shared his brainstorm with me, I read about a woman who has spearheaded a project very similar to the one he was dreaming of. Great minds think alike. Think about this: Fatima Karriem is using her own breast cancer experience to educate women in her homeland: South Africa. Diagnosed with the disease in 2005 and now a veteran of a radical mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation, Karriem, now an Ohio resident, is asking for people to donate bras -- they are very expensive in her country -- in all sizes and colors. On the tags, she is asking donors to add messages of hope, encouragement, and breast cancer education. Each package will then be shipped to Africa with information women need to know about the disease. If you're like me and want to make a worldy difference but just can't offer bunches of time, you can still help. Just send a bra with tags and messages attached to: Bras for Africa 10900 Euclid Ave. Crawford Hall 304 Cleveland, OH 44106 attention: Fatima Karriem Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments

Filed under: Skin Cancer , Melanoma , Prevention , Research , Daily news , Thought for the Day I remember a time when I visited tanning salons and was assured by those working the front desks that tanning beds were safer than the sun. Many years later, I know this is entirely untrue. Think about this: The New Zealand Cancer Society experts say sunbeds should never be used as a tanning method because the risk of skin cancer is too great. Tanning bed UV radiation is five times stronger than UV from the sun, says one doctor who also suggests people wrongly assume sunbeds are safer than the sun. Instead, they place individuals at significant risk for harm. In fact, the risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest from of skin cancer, increases by 75 percent for those who use a tanning bed before the age of 35. The Cancer Society, wishing to ban the use of sunbeds for anyone under age 18, has commissioned further research into the use of this deadly practice. Read     Permalink     Email this     Linking Blogs     Comments