Summary of Findings in Breast Cancer.
Increase your vitamin D levels to prevent diseases and improve your health.
Go to http://thevitamindactiondigest.blogspot.com/ to view my blog: The GrassrootsHealth Vitamin D*action Project Review & Digest
Less-acculturated Latinas with breast cancer are less likely to have reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy, say researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Amy Alderman, MD, MPH, assistant professor of plastic surgery at the U-M Medical School and lead author conducted a study to examine trends in breast reconstruction among different races, including white women, African-American women, and Latina women. The group of Latina women was further divided into women who were either highly acculturated into American society or less acculturated.
After looking at 806 women who were treated for breast cancer, researchers found 41% of white women and 41% of highly acculturated Latinas underwent reconstruction, while only 34% of African-Americans and 14% of less acculturated Latina did.
The study authors found that the lagging reconstruction rates did not correlate to lack of interest. More than half of the less-acculturated Latinas said they would have like more information about breast reconstruction.
When patients' satisfaction with their surgery was measured, the highest satisfaction rates were among white women who were satisfied with their treatment (94%) compared with the lowest rate, 56%, among less-acculturated Latinas who did not receive reconstruction.
Furthermore, this group was also less likely to report that their surgeon explained breast reconstruction, and they were less likely to be referred to a plastic surgeon than the other racial groups. The study also showed similar trends for African-American women, although the most significant data was among the less acculturated Latinas.
“Reconstruction is important to these women, but significantly more of the less-acculturated Latinas did not know how to get it. It suggests significant unmet needs for this vulnerable group. They have a desire for reconstruction, but no one's telling them about it,” Dr Alderman suggested.
The study authors suggest that more efforts be made to present breast reconstruction options to all patients, including those who speak only Spanish. Further research is planned to understand how language and other cultural issues affect whether women receive breast reconstruction.
For a few years, the symbol of Tokyo, Tokyo Tower, has been lit up in pink only at the night."
"Web sites all over the world change their templates to feature the colour pink, for the duration of October, in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month."
http://pinkforoctober.orgSaint Agatha of Sicily (Christian saint, born in Catania) is the patron saint of breast cancer.
Symptoms
The first symptom is typically a lump that feels different from the rest of the breast tissue. According to the The Merck Manual, more than 80% of breast cancer cases are discovered when the woman feels a lump. Lumps found in lymph nodes located in the armpits can also indicate breast cancer. Indications of breast cancer other than a lump may include changes in breast size or shape, skin dimpling, nipple inversion, or spontaneous single-nipple discharge.PreventionBreast cancer screening is an attempt to find cancer in otherwise healthy individuals.The most common screening method for women is a combination of x-ray mammography and clinical breast exam. In women at higher than normal risk, such as those with a strong family history of cancer, additional tools may include genetic testing or breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging. X-ray mammography uses x-rays to examine the breast for any uncharacteristic masses or lumps. Regular mammograms are recommended by several countries in women over a certain age as a screening tool.Psychological aspects The emotional impact of cancer diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, and related issues can be severe. Most larger hospitals are associated with cancer support groups which provide a supportive environment to help patients cope and gain perspective from cancer survivors. Online cancer support groups are also very beneficial to cancer patients, especially in dealing with uncertainty and body-image problems inherent in cancer treatment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breast_cancerOverview:
Survival:
Known causes:
Breast cancer risk 'virtually eradicated' by elevated vitamin D levels, researchers suggest.
Reprinted with permission from CNW Group TORONTO, Nov. 4 /CNW/ - Breast cancer is a disease so directly related to vitamin D deficiency that a woman's risk of contracting the disease can be 'virtually eradicated' by elevating her vitamin D status to what vitamin D scientists consider to be natural blood levels. That's the message vitamin D pioneer Dr. Cedric Garland delivered in Toronto Tuesday as part of the University of Toronto School of Medicine's "Diagnosis and Treatment of Vitamin D Deficiency" conference - the largest gathering of vitamin D researchers in North America this year. More than 170 researchers, public health officials and health practitioners gathered at the UT Faculty club for the landmark event. Garland's presentation headlined a conference that reviewed many aspects of the emerging vitamin D research field - a booming discipline that has seen more than 3,000 academic papers this calendar year alone, conference organizers said. That makes vitamin D by far the most prolific topic in medicine this year, with work connecting it with risk reduction in two dozen forms of cancer, heart disease, multiple scleroses and many other disorders. Click HERE to read the rest of this article.Increase your vitamin D levels to prevent diseases and improve your health.
Go to http://thevitamindactiondigest.blogspot.com/ to view my blog: The GrassrootsHealth Vitamin D*action Project Review & Digest
The map below (click to zoom) is based on data from the World Health Organization and theInternational Agency for Research on Cancer.
http://maker.geocommons.com/maps/8831
http://blog.fortiusone.com/2009/10/12/dataset-of-the-day-breast-cancer-awareness-month/
"The graph below shows how breast cancer compares to other common
causes of death in women of all ages."
