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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You can text the CDC for Swine H1N1 flu updates

What should I do if I get sick?

If you get sick with flu-like symptoms this flu season, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people except to get medical care. Most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu.

However, some people are more likely to get flu complications and they should talk to a health care provider about whether they need to be examined if they get flu symptoms this season. They are:

* Children younger than 5, but especially children younger than 2 years old
* People 65 and older
* Pregnant women
* People who have:
o Cancer
o Blood disorders (including sickle cell disease)
o Chronic lung disease [including asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)]
o Diabetes
o Heart disease
o Kidney disorders
o Liver disorders
o Neurological disorders (including nervous system, brain or spinal cord)
o Neuromuscular disorders (including muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis)
o Weakened immune systems (including people with AIDS)

Also, it’s possible for healthy people to develop severe illness from the flu so anyone concerned about their illness should consult a health care provider.

There are emergency warning signs. Anyone who has them should get medical care right away.
What are the emergency warning signs?

In children

* Fast breathing or trouble breathing
* Bluish skin color
* Not drinking enough fluids
* Not waking up or not interacting
* Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
* Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
* Fever with a rash

In adults

* Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
* Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
* Sudden dizziness
* Confusion
* Severe or persistent vomiting

Do I need to go the emergency room if I am only a little sick?

No. The emergency room should be used for people who are very sick. You should not go to the emergency room if you are only mildly ill.Photo of sick child If you have the emergency warning signs of flu sickness, you should go to the emergency room. If you get sick with flu symptoms and are at high risk of flu complications or you are concerned about your illness, call your health care provider for advice. If you go to the emergency room and you are not sick with the flu, you may catch it from people who do have it
Are there medicines to treat 2009 H1N1?

Yes. There are drugs your doctor may prescribe for treating both seasonal and 2009 H1N1 called “antiviral drugs.” These drugs can make you better faster and may also prevent serious complications. This flu season, antiviral drugs are being used mainly to treat people who are very sick, such as people who need to be hospitalized, and to treat sick people who are more likely to get serious flu complications. Your health care provider will decide whether antiviral drugs are needed to treat your illness. Remember, most people with 2009 H1N1 have had mild illness and have not needed medical care or antiviral drugs and the same is true of seasonal flu.
How long should I stay home if I’m sick?

CDC recommends that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other things you have toPhoto of family do and no one else can do for you. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol®.) You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings.
What should I do while I’m sick?

Stay away from others as much as possible to keep from making them sick. If you must leave home, for example to get medical care, wear a facemask if you have one, or cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. And wash your hands often to keep from spreading flu to others. CDC has information on “Taking Care of a Sick Person in Your Home” on its website at http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance_homecare.htm

SOURCE: CDC
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Tips on How to Care for your Elderly Parent

Be inquisitive. Do not hesitate to ask questions. Do not be embarrassed that you do not know certain medical terms or definitions. Have the doctor explain to you in plain English what exactly caused your parent’s chest pain rather than just taking a prescription and leaving.

Keep records. Every time you talk to a doctor, or even a nurse, have a notepad handy and take notes or use a voice-activated recorder. Make sure you record the exact term for that diagnosis, or specific instructions on what to do at home. When you are in a stressed state as you bring your parent for a doctor’s visit it is very easy to forget some important details when relaying this information to others who will be helping with the care.

Do research. Try to find out as much information on your parent’s condition as possible. Make sure you understand what it is caused by and what the long-term consequences are, so that when you talk to the doctor you are not immediately overwhelmed by the TMI syndrome (Too Much Information).
Souce: www.eldercareresidentialservices.com
From ezinearticles.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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