Category:
Miscellaneous
Treating Node-Negative, Receptor-Positive DCIS?
We have a 50-year-old woman in our clinic with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), estrogen- and progesterone-receptor-positive, with multiple foci of microinvasion (< 2 mm). She was treated with mastectomy and axillar dissection; all 15 nodes were negative. Is there a role for adjuvant therapy in this case?
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Category:
Medical Studies
Breast Cancer Sentinel Node Metastases:Histopathologic Detection and Clinical Significance
Standard single-section hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) examination is inadequate for reliable detection of axillary or SN metastases. Large studies appropriately powered to detect a survival difference for patients with micrometastatic disease are reviewed. The current data on the clinical significance of micrometastatic nodal disease is inconclusive. While several strong predictors of non-SN tumor involvement have been
identified, none is reliable enough to allow omission of ALND in patients with a tumor-involved SN.
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Category:
Definition & Diagnosis
Breast Reconstruction Following Removal A Breast
Reconstruction of a breast that has been removed due to cancer or other disease is one of the most rewarding surgical procedures available today. New medical techniques and devices have made it possible for surgeons to create a breast that can come close in form and appearance to matching a natural breast.
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Category:
Definition & Diagnosis
Breast Reconstruction
Breast reconstruction (surgery to rebuild a breast's shape) is often an option after mastectomy. Some health insurance plans pay for all or part of the cost of breast reconstruction and, also, for surgery to the other breast so that both breasts are about the same shape and size.
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Category:
Definition & Diagnosis
Breast Reconstruction Topics
This section has been written for women who have had or are about to have breast surgery, and may be considering breast reconstruction. It aims to provide you with the information you need to help you decide about having breast reconstruction.
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Category:
Medical Studies
OncoLink Meet the Professor: Brian J. Czerniecki, MD, PhD
OncoLink had the opportunity to interview Dr. Brian Czerniecki about his unique approach to ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) a pre-malignant breast lesion. Dr. Czerniecki is a breast cancer surgeon who also has a keen interest in clinical trials. He is particularly interested in tumor vaccines and tumor immunology. He is currently the principle investigator for a novel vaccine trial for patients with DCIS.
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Category:
Diet & Exercise
Boosting The Immune System To Fight Cancer
Nearly every woman diagnosed with breast cancer feels conflicted about accepting treatment that knocks down her immune system. Intuition that tells you (more like SHOUTS at you) that you need to build up your immune system to combat the cancer and to restore your overall health. Once you understand that you need effective treatment to deal with a threat as serious as cancer, and you go ahead with your treatment, you still need to listen to your intuition. It does make sense that your immune system needs to be nurtured. Here are some practical ways to help you help yourself.
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Category:
Diet & Exercise
Exercise Programs Benefit Cancer Patients' Recovery
Exercise programs designed specifically for cancer patients are popping up all over the US. Here are a few examples:
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Category:
Miscellaneous
Changes In Your Sex Life
The most uncomfortable stuff to talk about is probably your sex life and the changes that have taken place with your illness. You may not know what needs fixing or how to fix it, but you know things are different.
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Category:
Miscellaneous
Accepting the Nude You
If your self-image has been hurt by your breast cancer, you need to work at getting back a positive view of yourself.
Are you going to great lengths not to look at the scars on your chest? Your reluctance to face the scars is understandable. But experts on healing suggest it's important to get past this attitude.
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Category:
Miscellaneous
Loss of Libido
Perhaps the most frustrating change in your sexual life is the loss of libido, of "those urges." You've lost your hair, your breast is altered or gone, you've put on weight, you have no energy, you're tired, you're nauseated, and you hurt in new places. No wonder you're not feeling sexy.
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Category:
Miscellaneous
Solutions for Libido Loss: Lubricants
When asked for sex hints for breast cancer survivors, Sue—a breast cancer survivor herself and a nurse who helps women deal with sexual issues—said, "Astroglide, and more Astroglide. The directions say to put it on the penis, but don't forget to smear it in the vagina, too, LOTS OF IT."
Also see http://www.breastcancer.org/intimacy_arousal_pf.html
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Category:
Miscellaneous
Intimacy, Sex and your Love Life
It is very common for women to notice a loss of desire for sex after their breast cancer treatment. The treatment that most commonly affects sexual desire is actually chemotherapy, but any woman who is going through breast cancer treatment may notice changes like that.
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Category:
Diet & Exercise
Diet, Physical Activity and Cancer…What’s the Connection?
How much do your daily habits – like diet and exercise – affect your risk for cancer? These choices are among the most important factors in a person’s risk of cancer. Fortunately, they’re within our own control.
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Category:
Diet & Exercise
THE ANTI-CANCER DIET
Some foods actually contribute to the development of cancer; other foods lessen the risk. The following anti-cancer diet greatly lowers your risk of colorectal cancer and nearly all other types of cancers. It can also prevent cardiovascular disease. For people with a genetic tendency toward colorectal cancer, it is not just an option, it's a lifesaving necessity.
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Category:
Diet & Exercise
Diet & Fitness
Far more important than improving the way you look, diet and fitness are really about reducing the risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many other serious illnesses. Find your path to great health by starting with these articles.
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Category:
Medical Studies
Doctor's Doctor Ductal Carcinoma In Situ
Ductal carcinoma in situ or DCIS has been elevated to a very important status in breast pathology. As sophisticated tests such as mammography and stereotactic core biopsies become increasingly commonplace, this diagnosis is made with more frequency. It is an in situ malignancy, a cancer which has not spread beyond the confines of the duct from which it arises. It most commonly presents as a non-palpable lesion, usually visualized by mammography. It may also be an incidental finding found on a breast biopsy taken for another lesion.
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Category:
Miscellaneous
Alternative/Complementary Medicine
An "alternative" therapy is a treatment that is used in place of traditional medicine. A "complementary" therapy is a treatment that is used as a supplement to traditional medicine. Alternative and complementary medicines have become increasingly popular in recent years. According to the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Alternative and Complementary Medicine (NCCAM), Americans spent more than $27 billion on alternative or complementary therapies in 1997.
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Category:
Medical Studies
Gefitinib Followed By Surgery in Treating Women With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ of the Breast
RATIONALE: Gefitinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking the enzymes necessary for their growth. It is not yet known whether surgery is more effective with or without gefitinib in treating ductal carcinoma in situ.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase II trial is studying how well giving gefitinib together with surgery works compared to surgery alone in treating women with ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast.
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Category:
Definition & Diagnosis
DCIS: Treating a Pre-cancer
As more American women are screened for breast cancer with mammograms, doctors are seeing more of a condition called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Sometimes called a pre-cancer and sometimes Stage 0 breast cancer, DCIS is a non-invasive lesion that is confined within the lining of the milk ducts of the breast that is more benign than a cancerous tumor in that it does not have the ability to invade other parts of the body.
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