Top 10 Things to Do to Prevent Breast Cancer

What can I do to prevent breast cancer? What is the best way to find my cancer early, before it has spread? These are two of the most common questions women have. 

Here's what we know:

There is nothing that you can do to ensure that you absolutely do not get breast cancer. However, studies suggest that some lifestyle choices may help reduce breast cancer risk.

These include:

1. Eating a healthy diet that is low in animal fat and high in whole grains and fruits and vegetables. There is no data indicating that a specific diet, per se, can help reduce breast cancer risk.
2. Taking a multivitamin and make sure it includes adequate folic acid.
3.  Having your children before 35, if you have a choice.
4.  Breastfeeding your children.
5.  Avoiding unnecessary X-rays.
6.  Drinking alcohol in moderation and make sure you take folic acid when you do drink.
7.  Losing weight (if you are overweight).
8.  Not gaining weight after menopause.
9.  Getting regular exercise.
10.  Using hormone therapy to treat menopausal symptoms for the shortest time period necessary, it at all.
      
    You should also be sure to:

·     Evaluate any breast symptoms or changes that develop.

·     Have mammograms when appropriate.

·     Consider raloxifene if you are postmenopausal and need to take a drug to prevent bone loss.

·     If you have a family history of breast cancer or for other reasons are at high risk of getting breast cancer,visit our section for High-Risk Women.

To help us learn more about breast cancer prevention, you can:

·         Join the Love/Avon Army of Women, revolutionary initiative that is changing the face of breast cancer research.

·         Participate in studies sponsored by the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation.

·         Become a breast cancer advocate, and work with us to insure that research on breast cancer prevention is   supported and funded.

This post is courtesy of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, dedicated to eradicating breast cancer and improving the quality of women's health through innovative research, education and advocacy.  To support this important cause and donate, visit www.dslrf.org.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Survival

I guess I am a born philosopher; I came out of the womb asking, “Why?”   You can imagine that when I got breast cancer twice I had lots of whys.   I never asked, “Why me?” but I DID ask, “Why at all?  Why should anyone have to suffer like this?”  Refusing to let my suffering go to waste I determined to give it meaning by helping others who were facing the same ordeal.  I wrote my story on websites and message boards, lending support, answering questions and warning people about pitfalls to avoid.  I hopefully probably offended more than a few members of the medical establishment.  I really didn’t care!

At the time I had my mastectomies DIEP flap reconstruction was just gaining popularity. Since I was overjoyed with my results I eagerly shared my success with anyone who was interested. In fact, I loved my breasts so much that on more than one occasion I flashed them faster than folks could say, “No thank you!”  To me they were medical marvels!  It became a joke among my friends to say, “Is there anyone in the country who hasn’t seen your breasts?”

That was 2006—fast forward to June 2011 and the FORCE conference in Orlando.  FORCE stands for Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered and is dedicated to fighting hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Since I tested negative for the genes I never thought I belonged in the organization, but I wanted to visit friends in Florida and the conference gave me a neat business write-off.  (Not very noble of me, I confess.)

Truthfully, I dreaded going because I didn’t know a soul, and for the first day I felt so out of it that all I could think about was leaving early.  Why in the world did I come here? I didn’t belong.  Alas, changing the flight would cost a fortune, so I quit feeling sorry for myself and jumped into the program wholeheartedly.  

The day ended with a gathering called “Show and Tell” where attendees could speak directly with surgeons about treatment procedures they might be considering.  To my surprise I walked into cocktail party with no signs of surgeons or presentations. I asked one of the FORCE volunteers why, and learned that the “Show and Tell” took place in the next room, where women at various stages of reconstruction would show themselves to women facing mastectomy.  Next thing I knew I was standing, bare-breasted, in a circle of grateful women asking me life-changing questions about my surgeries.   

Now I knew the reason why I had come—to help people, in the flesh, who were worried and frightened by this awful disease.

Oh, and also because there were some people in the country who had not seen my breasts.

Censorship of Breast Cancer Art Project

This morning, Facebook deleted a photo of a magazine cover that featured me for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As a full time advocate for breast cancer awareness, I am reliant on social media to help people become educated on the devastating effects of this disease. There was no notification, no inquiry as to the photo’s origins, no polite request to take it down. They simply deleted it, along with five other photos featuring cancer survivors. In each of these photos, the outlines of our bodies are visible but our breasts are fully covered by body paint. Flesh tones and nipples (which many of us no longer have) are completely and tastefully concealed under the incredible artwork of renowned photographer Michael D. Colanero and body painter Keegan Hitchcock, the geniuses behing the Breast Cancer Awareness Body Painting Project. There are countless Facebook ads that appear unsolicited showing women in sexually suggestive poses far more revealing than my photos. Millions of men appear bare chested on Facebook with no fear of recourse.

As a two time survivor of cancer, I am hurt and offended. As an advocate and speaker, I am determined to speak out against one of the largest human networks in the world standing between people and information that can save lives. Facebook’s entirely irresponsible process of removing content based on unsubstantiated complaints without review is endangering the public health. Facebook is no longer just a fun distraction; it is a source of news and information that hundreds of millions worldwide rely on. With this success comes a responsibility to approach free speech and advocacy for public health in a more cautious and deliberate manner.

I want to know how Facebook plans to live to their responsibility to protect free speech and ensure that an open and informative dialog can take place on their network.

I'M IN THE ARMY NOW

I signed up to STOP breast cancer before it STARTS. Have you?  

The goal of the Army of Women is to recruit ONE MILLION MEN AND WOMEN of all ages and ethnicities, including breast cancer survivors and those who have never had breast cancer.  They seek to match volunteers with research projects aimed at PREVENTION.

How you can get involved:·       

• Join today at www.armyofwomen.org

• Invite a friend at: https://www.armyofwomen.org/invitefriend

• Update your Facebook status with the following:  "I signed up to STOP breast cancer before it STARTS.  Have you?  Join today at www.armyofwomen.org, then copy and paste this status update as your own." 

• Tweet about the Army Of Women and to use the hashtag #WritePink. 

Be part of ending breast cancer by participating in research.  It's free, easy, and volunteers are desperately needed.  I did it, and was even reimbursed for my time and mileage! 

Great Resource on Breast Reconstruction

 I am delighted to announce that the American Society of Plastic Surgeons has produced a beautiful brochure that enables women facing mastectomy to begin the decision process well informed.  It shows before and after photos of every surgical option available, including the pros and cons of each procedure.

And I am proud to have been featured as one of  four women who have had reconstruction and are now active in breast cancer awareness.  

Is it too soon to have my daughter checked? She is almost 12.

This question came to me from a new friend I recently met on Twitter whose young sister is battling breast cancer. This is what she writes in her profile:


My sister has Stage 3 Breast Cancer. Today all of her hair came off. So depressing. She has NO Insurance.


Considering that just last year there was a major news story about a 10 year old girl with breast cancer, my friend's question is not far-fetched. Although her daughter's risk of having breast cancer at 11 is almost nil, her worry is understandable.


Most of us react with a mixture of sympathy and horror, reassuring ourselves that such a thing could never happen to our daughter. And statistically the vast majority of us would be correct. We can shake our heads and sigh, “Those poor people". . . key word "those".


But when your sister loses not just her hair but her baby because of breast cancer, you start to look at your 11 year old baby girl with new worry.


For all I have gained because of breast cancer I have truly embraced it as a gift. Honest.
But I would never wish it on my worst enemy, and certainly not on this dear sister.

PS, yes 12 is too young to start checking.
***

Grow Breasts from Fat: the Future of Breast Reconstruction

A new form of breast reconstruction that allows women to re-grow breasts from their own fat stem cells after a mastectomy could be offered to British and Australian breast cancer patients for the first time in 2010.

A human trial of the new technique is being planned by plastic surgeons at a London hospital. The trial will study whether fat cells can be induced to multiply and fill a breast-shaped mold implanted under the chest skin to recreate a breast after mastectomy. Australian scientists also recently announced that they would start similar treatments on women within six months, following animal studies involving mice and pigs that successfully re-grew breasts from fat.
To read the full story visit the blog of Dr. Minas Chrysopoulo, Board Certified Plastic Surgeon, and Twitter friend @mchrysopoulo.

Why some mastectomy patients are denied the best treatment available. HINT: Follow the money.

Research shows that only 25% of patients facing mastectomy are informed about the option of breast reconstruction. In my work in the breast cancer community I have met women whose own reconstructive surgeons did not tell them about these state-of-the-art procedures, even though they lived metropolitan areas where several surgeons did perform them. Since the DIEP procedure has been done in the US for over 15 years and is well known among reconstructive surgeons, what conclusion can we draw except that these doctors choose to keep their patients in the dark in order to keep them in their practices.

The problem doesn't end with physican turf wars: the following article from CancerCompass reveals that "...some insurance companies will discourage a patient from pursuing such advanced options because cheaper alternatives only may be provided by their 'in-network' providers."
Hand me my smelling salts!

The complete original cited in CancerCompass has been deactivated: DIEP And SIEA Microsurgery Flaps -- The Gold Standards In Breast Reconstruction: And Why Insurance Must Cover Them