By Daniel J. DeNoon
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Feb. 19, 2010 – Aspirin has anticancer effects, new studies confirm.

The latest of these studies shows that after successful treatment for breast cancer, women who take aspirin regularly have a significantly lower risk of dying from recurrent cancer. Aspirin also cut their risk of having their cancer spread to other sites.

What does this mean for people treated for cancer? What does it mean for people worried about their cancer risk? Here are answers to these and other frequently asked questions about aspirin and cancer.
Does aspirin really improve breast cancer survival?

Only a clinical trial, in which randomly assigned treatment is tested against an inactive placebo, can prove that a treatment is truly effective.

Until such proof is available, the next best thing is a study in which people taking the treatment are observed over time. The Nurses Health Study followed more than 4,000 nurses who had been treated for breast cancer at least 12 months earlier.

The result: Nurses who took aspirin were significantly less likely to die of breast cancer and to have cancer recur at another site. After adjusting for cancer stage, menopausal status, body mass, and hormone sensitivity of the tumor, women who took aspirin seven days a week were 43% less likely to die of breast cancer.

The findings may apply only to women who survive at least four years after breast cancer treatment. But since 90% of women diagnosed with breast cancer survive at least five years, “our findings have considerable clinical importance,” conclude researchers Michelle D. Holmes, MD, DrPH, and colleagues at Boston’s Brigham & Women’s Hospital. Their study is published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

SOURCE: webmd.com

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Breast Cancer High Risk Calculator

Please answer the following questions:

Do you have:

* a male relative who had breast cancer?
* any relative who had breast cancer before age 50?
* two or more female relatives with breast cancer after age 50?
* a relative with cancer in both breasts or two cancers in one breast?
* a relative who had ovarian cancer?

Are you of Hungarian, Swedish, Icelandic, or Ashkenazi Jewish descent?

Have you or a relative tested positive for the BRCA 1 or 2 gene? (Breast cancer gene)

Have you been diagnosed with:

* ovarian cancer?
* Hodgkin’s lymphoma and been treated specifically with “mantle” radiation to the chest?
* lobular or atypical changes on breast biopsy?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above questions, you may be at high risk for breast cancer and are a good candidate for our upcoming free seminar on November 7th, 2009.

If you answered “No” to all of the questions above, please proceed to the National Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool to calculate your percent lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. If the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool assigns you a lifetime risk of greater than or equal to 20%, you are at high risk for breast cancer and are a good candidate for our upcoming free seminar on November 7th, 2009 in San Luis Obispo CA. For more information on our free November 7th, 2009 seminar, please visit our link below.

Click here for more info

Source: sldiagnostic.com

Treatments for Breast Cancer Stage
Breast cancer is a complicated disease. Every woman’s case is distinct. Your experience may be very different from those of friends or relatives who also had breast cancer. So there is no single “best” treatment. Only you and your team of health care providers can work out the best approach for you. No matter what treatment you have, you will need regular checkups to make sure that you’re staying healthy.

Doctors evaluate a woman’s breast cancer in part by determining how large the tumor is and how far it’s spread. This is called staging. It’s just a way of summarizing your current condition. There are five basic stages, 0 through IV, and a number of sub-stages.

Staging doesn’t tell the whole story. Other factors can affect your prognosis, such as the type of cancer, the speed with which the cancer is growing, your general health, your age, whether you had breast cancer before, and whether female hormones affect the cancer’s growth.

If you know the stage of the disease that you have, you can use this quick guide to see what kinds of treatments might help.

Treatment Options for Stage 0 Breast Cancer

When needed, treatment for stage 0 breast cancer is very successful. The five-year survival rate is about 100%. This very early stage of the disease is not always actually breast cancer. Instead, it’s often a precancerous condition. Treatment isn’t always needed, and close observation may be enough. Treatments differ depending on what kind of stage 0 cancer you have. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or intraductal carcinoma is one type. In this condition, abnormal cells appear in the ducts of the breast. Sometimes, these cells become cancerous. That’s why it’s key to get treatment now. Here’s a list of the typical treatments:

* Surgery is a standard. For smaller tumors, you might get a lumpectomy, in which only the abnormal cells and some of the tissue are removed. Some women choose a mastectomy, in which the entire breast is removed. After a mastectomy, you might choose to have breast reconstruction surgery.
* Radiation therapy is standard treatment after a lumpectomy. Radiation therapy attacks any abnormal cells that might have been missed and decreases the risk of another cancer.
* Hormone therapy with tamoxifen after surgery may also help prevent cancer from developing in the same or opposite breast.

Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) is the other type of stage 0 breast cancer. LCIS develops when abnormal cells appear in the lobes of the breast. Most women don’t need treatment right away. However, LCIS raises the risk of getting cancer. So it’s key to have frequent checkups with your doctor. Here are some treatment options:

* Hormone therapy with tamoxifen to lower the risk of developing cancer.
* Bilateral mastectomy — the removal of both breasts — is another option. Some women choose this approach because they are worried about getting cancer. They might have certain risk factors, like a strong family history of breast cancer. After surgery, you might choose to get breast reconstruction surgery. However, experts think that a bilateral mastectomy is a more extreme approach than women usually need.

Treatment Options for Stage I Breast Cancer

This is a very early stage of breast cancer. The cancer hasn’t spread beyond the breast at all. So you have a number of good treatments to choose from. The eight-year survival rate for women with stage I breast cancer is about 90%. This doesn’t mean that these women will only live eight years. Doctors just measure success rates for cancer treatment by seeing how women are doing five to 10 years after treatment. Women usually do well with a combination of treatments. Here are your basic options:

* Surgery is a standard. Since the tumor is still small, you may get a lumpectomy. In this procedure, just the tumor and some of the surrounding tissue are removed. Some women get a mastectomy, in which the whole breast is removed. In either case, the surgeon will likely take out one or more of the lymph nodes. After a mastectomy, you might choose to get breast reconstruction surgery. Surgery treats the disease doctors are aware of. The other treatments of radiation, chemotherapy, and/or hormone therapy are considered “adjuvant” (added) treatments for or hidden disease. They are used to reduce risk of breast cancer recurrence.
* Radiation therapy is standard after a lumpectomy. It can kill off any cancer cells that were missed. Women with stage I cancer who get a mastectomy don’t usually need radiation.
* Chemotherapy is treatment with drugs that attack cancer cells. It’s often used after surgery to lower the risk of the cancer coming back. Women who had larger tumors are more likely to need it.
* Hormone therapy is sometimes used after surgery in women who have hormone receptor-positive cancer (tumors whose growth seems dependant on estrogen). In these women, hormone therapy drugs can prevent the tumor from getting the hormone it needs to grow. These drugs include tamoxifen for premenopausal women and aromatase inhibitors like Arimidex, Femara, and Aromasin for postmenopausal women. Women who haven’t reached menopause may consider having their ovaries removed or taking drugs to stop them from making hormones that help cancer grow. Again, women with larger tumors are more likely to need hormone therapy.
* Biological therapy is another approach. In about 25% of women with breast cancer, an excess of a protein known as HER2 makes the cancer spread quickly. Herceptin is a new drug that’s been approved to treat women with metastatic breast cancer that is HER2 positive. It stops this protein from making the cancer grow and makes chemotherapy more effective. It is most often used in combination with chemotherapy. Studies have led to its use in early breast cancer.
* Clinical trials are open to many women with stage I cancer. A clinical trial may allow you access to cutting-edge treatments. Many new therapies — new drugs, new treatments, and new combinations — are in clinical trials now. Keep in mind that any successful treatment we have now started out in a clinical trial.

Source: webmd.com
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National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Celebrating 25 Years of Awareness, Education, and Empowerment

The National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) organization is a partnership of national public service organizations, professional medical associations, and government agencies working together to promote breast cancer awareness, share information on the disease, and provide greater access to screening services.

In 2009, NBCAM celebrates its 25th anniversary. Since its inception a quarter century ago, NBCAM has been at the forefront of promoting awareness of breast cancer issues and has evolved along with the national dialogue on breast cancer. Today, NBCAM recognizes that although many great strides have been made in breast cancer awareness and treatment, there remains much to be accomplished. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we remain dedicated to educating and empowering women to take charge of their own breast health by practicing regular self-breast exams to identify any changes, scheduling regular visits and annual mammograms with their healthcare provider, adhering to prescribed treatment, and knowing the facts about recurrence.

While October is recognized as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the www.NBCAM.org Web site is a year-round resource for breast cancer patients, survivors, caregivers, and the general public. We encourage you to visit our site in October and regularly throughout the year as we add updated breast cancer information and resources.

Source: www.NBCAM.org

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FDA NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: July 22, 2009

Media Inquiries: Siobhan DeLancey, 301-796-4668, siobhan.delancey@fda.hhs.gov
Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA and Public Health Experts Warn About Electronic Cigarettes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced that a laboratory analysis of electronic cigarette samples has found that they contain carcinogens and toxic chemicals such as diethylene glycol, an ingredient used in antifreeze.

Electronic cigarettes, also called “e-cigarettes,” are battery-operated devices that generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. The electronic cigarette turns nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user.

These products are marketed and sold to young people and are readily available online and in shopping malls. In addition, these products do not contain any health warnings comparable to FDA-approved nicotine replacement products or conventional cigarettes. They are also available in different flavors, such as chocolate and mint, which may appeal to young people.

Public health experts expressed concern that electronic cigarettes could increase nicotine addiction and tobacco use in young people. Jonathan Winickoff, M.D., chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics Tobacco Consortium and Jonathan Samet, M.D., director of the Institute for Global Health at the University of Southern California, joined Joshua Sharfstein, M.D., principal deputy commissioner of the FDA, and Matthew McKenna, M.D., director of the Office of Smoking and Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to discuss the potential risks associated with the use of electronic cigarettes.

“The FDA is concerned about the safety of these products and how they are marketed to the public,” said Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., commissioner of food and drugs.

Because these products have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation or approval, at this time the agency has no way of knowing, except for the limited testing it has performed, the levels of nicotine or the amounts or kinds of other chemicals that the various brands of these products deliver to the user.

The FDA’s Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis analyzed the ingredients in a small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of electronic cigarettes. In one sample, the FDA’s analyses detected diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans, and in several other samples, the FDA analyses detected carcinogens, including nitrosamines. These tests indicate that these products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed.

The FDA has been examining and detaining shipments of e-cigarettes at the border and the products it has examined thus far meet the definition of a combination drug-device product under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The FDA has been challenged regarding its jurisdiction over certain e-cigarettes in a case currently pending in federal district court. The agency is also planning additional activities to address its concerns about these products.

electronic-cigarettes

More Info from the FDA

Pretty In Pink Foundation

RALEIGH, N.C., July 16/PRNewswire/ — Capital Bank President and CEO B. Grant Yarber will appear in an upcoming segment on the TODAY Show scheduled to air Monday, July 20. A producer, NBC News’ correspondent Anne Thompson and crew from the TODAY Show visited Raleigh earlier this month to highlight Pretty In Pink, a foundation providing treatment, education and support for uninsured and underinsured women with breast cancer, and Capital Bank’s support of the organization. Thompson, a breast cancer survivor herself, interviewed Yarber for the segment. The TODAY Show is broadcast regionally on WNCN-TV (NBC 17). This story will air during the 8 to 9 a.m. hour and will also be online at http://today.msnbc.msn.com/.

“Our mission as a community bank is to make a difference in the lives of those in the communities we serve,” said Yarber. “We supported Pretty In Pink in its early years after becoming aware of the need for a different type of support for women with cancer. Unlike organizations that fund cancer research, Pretty In Pink provides funding for critical treatment for underinsured women.”

Capital Bank continues to support Pretty In Pink as the growing foundation strives toward its vision of having a presence in each state in the country by 2020. The bank also awarded Pretty In Pink its first Pink Promise Corporate Donation of 2009.

“Capital Bank helped Pretty In Pink Foundation move closer to our mission and we are deeply appreciative of both their financial commitment and their spirit of community,” remarked Dr. Lisa Tolnitch, founder of Pretty In Pink Foundation. “When Capital Bank committed to be a Pink Promise contributor earlier this year, the entire Pretty In Pink Foundation staff was moved with gratitude. Their contribution helps us provide immediate and necessary financial assistance to breast cancer patients when they need it most. We will always be grateful for Capital Bank’s compassion and support.”

“I encourage others to support the wonderful service this organization is providing,” added Yarber. “The need to assist those in North Carolina is great, yet we are confident in Pretty In Pink’s efforts to eliminate financial barriers to cancer treatment in our own state and beyond.”

About Capital Bank

Capital Bank Corporation CBKN, headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., with approximately $1.7 billion in total assets, offers a broad range of financial services. Capital Bank operates 32 banking offices in Asheville (4), Burlington (4), Cary, Clayton, Fayetteville (3), Graham (2), Hickory, Mebane, Morrisville, Oxford, Parkton, Pittsboro, Raleigh (5), Sanford (3), Siler City, Wake Forest, and Zebulon. Capital Bank plans to open offices this summer in Holly Springs and west Cary. The company’s website is www.capitalbank-nc.com.
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