Don’t Judge Her! An Essay on Angelina Jolie, BRCA, Cancer Risk and Informed Decision-Making

There’s no right answer…Jolie’s essay reflects the dilemma of any person making a medical choice based on their cir­cum­stances, values, genetic test results and what infor­mation they’ve been given or oth­erwise found and interpreted.

Posted in Breast Cancer, journalism, Medical News, Oncology (cancer), Public Illness, Women's HealthTagged , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments on Don’t Judge Her! An Essay on Angelina Jolie, BRCA, Cancer Risk and Informed Decision-Making

Contemplating Breast Cancer, Beyond October 2012

I’m optimistic, because it looks as though, in my lifetime, BC treatment will be tailored to each patient. There’ll be less surgery and better drugs.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer causes, cancer treatment, clinical trials, Future of Medicine, health care delivery, Informed Consent, Medical Education, Oncology (cancer), PathologyTagged , , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments on Contemplating Breast Cancer, Beyond October 2012

Don’t Blur the Message on Cancer Screening

I hope this week’s headlines and editorials don’t add to the blurriness of the public’s perception of cancer screening – that people might begin to think it’s a bad thing all around. The details matter….screening if it’s done right can save lives and dollars. That’s because for most tumor types, treating advanced, metastatic disease is costlier than treatment of early-stage, curable tumors.

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A Closer Look at the Details on Mammography, in Between the Lines

A seemingly slight adjustment in a statistic, for teaching purposes, can significantly change a test’s calculated value….

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What Does a Bikini Parade Have to Do with Breast Cancer?

A tanning salon – a business that causes melanoma and other skin cancers – is promoting a walk of bikini-wearing women in summer sun to break an amusing world’s record. This parade will …

Posted in Annals of Pink, Breast Cancer, cancer awareness, Women's HealthTagged , , , , , , , , , 6 Comments on What Does a Bikini Parade Have to Do with Breast Cancer?

How Much Do You Want Your Doctors To Say About Risks of Treatment?

This kind of paternalism, when a doctor assesses the risks and benefits, and spares the patient’s “knowing” seems anachronistic. But it may, still, be what many people are looking for when and if they get a serious illness. Not everyone wants a “tell me everything” kind of physician.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer treatment, Empowered Patient, Informed Consent, Life as a Patient, Oncology (cancer), Patient Autonomy, Patient-Doctor RelationshipTagged , , , , , , , , , 19 Comments on How Much Do You Want Your Doctors To Say About Risks of Treatment?

This Week’s Triple, Tough Dose of Real Stories on Women with Cancer

This news reminds us an aspect of cancer treatment some of us would rather put out of our heads….all cancer patients should take careful notes on their planned treatments and ask their doctors about the long-term consequences of therapy.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer awareness, cancer survival, cancer treatment, Medical News, Oncology (cancer), Women's HealthTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on This Week’s Triple, Tough Dose of Real Stories on Women with Cancer

FDA Approves Pertuzumab for Advanced, Her2+ Breast Cancer

My opinion is not quite formed on this new antibody. The FDA’s decision was based on results of one trial of 808 patients, half of whom didn’t get the experimental drug…

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On Sheryl Crow’s Report that She Has a Meningioma, and Singing Loud

Fortunately the LATimes and People magazine got the story right. Their headlines, and text, emphasize the benign nature of Crow’s newly-diagnosed condition, a meningioma.

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EMILIA Trial: T-DM1 Appears Helpful in Women with Her2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer

The new agent is a hybrid of an old monoclonal antibody, Herceptin, that’s chemically attached to DM1, a traditional kind of chemotherapy. The preliminary results of this randomized trial are encouraging. …It’s hard to know how this promising, likely expensive, intravenous drug will fit in with others for patients with Her2+ breast cancer.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer treatment, Medical News, PharmacologyTagged , , , , , , , 3 Comments on EMILIA Trial: T-DM1 Appears Helpful in Women with Her2+ Metastatic Breast Cancer

The NBCC Holds Annual Summit and Pushes for Deadline 2020

Last week the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) held its annual summit. The meeting drew over 600 women to its opening rally in a Crystal City ballroom on Saturday, along with students who participated in sessions for Emerging Leaders, and a few men who joined in lectures and panels, and lobbied on Tuesday on Capitol […]

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer awareness, Empowered PatientTagged , , , , , , , 1 Comment on The NBCC Holds Annual Summit and Pushes for Deadline 2020

10 Newly-Defined Molecular Types of Breast Cancer in Nature, and a Dream

The 10 molecular BC categories bear prognostic (survival) information and, based on their distinct mutations and gene expression patterns, potential targets for novel drugs….I wonder if, in a few years, some breast cancers might be treated without surgery.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer causes, cancer diagnosis, cancer treatment, Future of Medicine, Oncology (cancer), Pathology, Science, Under the RadarTagged , , , , , , , , , , 3 Comments on 10 Newly-Defined Molecular Types of Breast Cancer in Nature, and a Dream

Boobstagram Collects and Displays Breast Photos, Says Aim is to Boost Cancer Awareness

I’m not sure what to make of Boobstagram. The idea is for women to take photos of their breasts, send them in and raise awareness of the value of healthy breasts. The French company breaches cancer culture norms… If it were legit and raised loads of money for cancer research and care, would we tolerate this mode of fundraising?

Posted in Annals of Pink, Social MediaTagged , , , , , , , 11 Comments on Boobstagram Collects and Displays Breast Photos, Says Aim is to Boost Cancer Awareness

The Outlier’s Message, and Evolutionary Science in Breast Cancer

If a drug helps, keep it going; if it hurts, stop. There are so many algorithms in medicine, and molecular tools, but maybe the bottom line is how the, one, your patient is doing.

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New Article on Mammography Spawns False Hope That Breast Cancer is Not a Dangerous Disease

Few forms of invasive breast cancer warrant no treatment unless the patient is so old that she is likely to die first of another condition, or the patient prefers to die of the disease….“Mammograms Spot Cancers That May Not Be Dangerous,” said WebMD, yesterday. This is feel-good news, and largely wishful.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer screening, Communication, Diagnosis, Essential Lessons, journalism, Medical News, Oncology (cancer), Women's HealthTagged , , , , , 6 Comments on New Article on Mammography Spawns False Hope That Breast Cancer is Not a Dangerous Disease

Thank You, Rachel and Susan

Yesterday morning, two women who were active in the on-line breast cancer community died. Rachel Cheetham Moro (1970 – 2012) was a critical thinker who vigorously supported BCAction and the NBCC’s 2020 deadline. She was a generous and thoughtful on-line friend to many women in the metastatic and more general BC community, where she used the handle @ccchronicles. Her […]

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer survival, Communication, from the author, Life as a PatientTagged , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment on Thank You, Rachel and Susan

Study Finds Wide Variation in Reoperation Rates after Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer

All of this meshes with my experience – knowing women who’ve had breast-conserving surgery and then got mixed information about the results and what to do next. You’d think lumpectomy would be a standard procedure by now, and that decisions about what to do after the procedure, surgically speaking (let alone decisions about chemo, hormonal treatments and radiation) would be straightforward in most cases.

Posted in Breast Cancer, cancer treatment, Medical News, Oncology (cancer), PathologyTagged , , , , , , , , , 5 Comments on Study Finds Wide Variation in Reoperation Rates after Lumpectomy for Breast Cancer

Komen Update – Future Plans?

As many ML readers are aware, late this morning, the Susan G. Komen Foundation announced it will not cut current grants or funding to Planned Parenthood. This reversal comes as welcome news to those who support the agency and its work. The New York City branch issued this statement. Still, many breast cancer advocates, activists and […]

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A Note on the Komen Fiasco

When I first heard the Susan G. Komen Foundation is nixing its financial support of Planned Parenthood, I thought it might be a mistake. Maybe a rogue affiliate or anti-choice officer had acted independently of the group’s core and mission, and the press got the early story wrong. I waited for Nancy G. Brinker, Komen’s […]

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