Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Eighteen years ago the “National Breast Cancer Awareness Month” initiative began to educate women about breast cancer. It gave us the messages that early detection through screening mammography, self-exam and clinical exams are important factors in the outcome of a growing disease. Though my knowledge of breast cancer was lacking and I thought my chances of getting it were small, I am grateful that these messages were put in the back of my mind. For how was I to know they would one day save my life?

I had a baseline mammogram at age 39 and had another at age 41. Having had many “female” difficulties, I was tired of doctors and I put off my next mammogram. I never thought breast cancer was a threat to me. Still I knew to be aware of my body and how it normally felt and I periodically did a self-exam. I know this information came from something I had read-probably one October.

At age 44, I became aware of a spot on my right breast that had been hurting slightly for a few days- and instinctively my hand went right to it. It was a hard, round lump! I told myself it was “just a cyst.” But I knew I had to see the doctor. A mammogram, an ultrasound and then a core needle biopsy confirmed that it was indeed cancer.

I was lucky. I found my cancer at an early stage. It was 2.4 centimeters of “invasive ductal carcinoma” and it was grade 3- an aggressive cancer. I had caught a very nasty cancer early. Unlike my mother’s generation, I was able to have the best of modern conventional cancer therapy- but it was not easy. I had lumpectomy surgery, chemotherapy and 34 radiations and I am still here to tell about it. I take Tamoxifen as a cancer preventative. I had total abdominal hysterectomy and oopherectomy due to complications of the Tamoxifen and some ongoing “female” problems. It’s been a long couple of years! But today I can say I am cancer free.

You will hear a lot of “survivor” stories during October. I have found that magazines and the rest of the media like to report on people who are thriving after breast cancer. Yes! There is a lot of good news. But as a co-administrator on the Breast Cancer Support site I can tell you this is not the whole story. Although there certainly are many great strides being taken against breast and other cancers, there are also so many who find recurrence part of their story. And most media do not want to publish that.

This October, remember me- one of the lucky ones who is thankfully thriving. But also remember those who I have personally lost this year and those who are still fighting. Remember that the best weapon against this disease is still early detection. Follow the American Cancer Society guidelines for cancer screenings and prevention. Get your annual mammograms along with a clinical exam and Pap smear and do breast self-exams. Be aware of your body and if ever something seems amiss- do not delay a doctor’s visit. It may save your life as it did for me!

Mary Manion
brassmom@comcast.net


NBCAM- National Breast Cancer Awareness Month Site
http://www.nbcam.org/index.cfm

American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org

Breastcancer.org
http://www.breastcancer.org/

Breast Cancer Support
www.bcsupport.org

I was so very lucky. All I had was ductal carcinoma IN SITU. Lumpectomy, 33 radiation treatments, and five years of Tamoxifen. It all started last November. I thought I was never going to get over the "cancerhead". I did. (Shows up just very occasionally.) Time and "all clear" test results seem to be the only cure for it. Had a mammogram earlier this week = all clear (well, after an ultrasound that showed what was a lump in the mammo was a fluid filled cyst).

Thank you all for going through it with me here even though this is a gyn cancer board. (I had a hyst going on 14 years ago and took Premarin until last November. No HRT since.) I have a few friends that saw me through it, but I have no family. That's what happens when you are an only child who doesn't marry and doesn't have children.

Mary D.

Hi, Mary--

Thanks for your informative post on breast cancer. I'm very happy to hear you are doing well and that your cancer was detected early.

I just wanted to say that if you think the media coverage regarding breast cancer is not telling the whole story, you should take a look at the media coverage for gynecologic cancers. I'd estimate that gyn cancers get about 1% of the media coverage of breast cancer, although the difference in the number of deaths annually is not that great.

The media, for example, doesn't mention that tamoxifen raises the risk of uterine cancer to double or triple what it would be otherwise for women who take it for five years. The media doesn't mention that if you are on tamoxifen for more than 5 years, the risk of uterine cancer is seven times would it would be without taking the drug. In fact, the media doesn't say much at all about gynecologic cancers. Hopefully, federal legislation about to be proposed for gynecologic cancers, called Johanna's Law, the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2003, may start to change that sad state of affairs.

Continued good health to you!

MoeKay

Glad to read that you are a survivor of breast cancer. May it never, ever recur. I have to agree with MoeKay--if you're concerned about a lack of media coverage of breast cancer, at least there is some and plenty of awareness activities. Gynecological cancers still seem to exist in the dark ages. According to the 2003 State of the State of Gynecologic Cancers, by the Gynecologic Cancer Foundation and Society of Gynecologic Oncologists, there were 83000 cases of gynecological cancer diagnosed in 2003; in 2002, almost 25000 women died from gynecologic cancers. The media pays virtually no attention to that and awareness activities are too few and far between. Johanna's Law authorizing a national gynecologic cancer early detection and awareness campaign directed at women and their physicians is a necessity. When I look at the figures of 25000 new cases of ovarian cancer every year and 14000 deaths, I could scream. Some of those 14000 last year and this are friends, people I've gotten to know due to the common bond we have and dont' want.

Thank you for letting me know about Johanna's Law. I certainly will read up on it and spread the word about it to all the BC sites I visit! Do not misinterpret what I am saying about the coverage of breast cancer, however. I do not think there is a lack of coverage. But it is the slant that sometimes bothers me. Sometimes breast cancer survivors can walk away from an interview feeling rather used if the reporter only writes about the positive things. This happened to me. So I think we are in agreement here.

I think most breast cancer survivors view all the hoopla with very mixed feelings. I agree that all cancers should be covered along with the the number one killer of women which is heart disease. I do however think it is similar to other women's issues. Let's not get rid of the focus on hiring women for professional jobs because we are not hearing enough about equal pay. Let's jump on the exposure that breast cancer is getting and expand on it- where we all know it should be. When it is Gyn Cancer day- come post on the breast cancer boards! Although I support organizations for breast cancer such as the Susan Komen Foundation I have decided to spend most of my energy on the American Cancer Society. I am on the local Relay For Life Committee. This was to support my friends battling other cancers, both male and female. I am very grateful that Kathy has this site and that we are able to post freely here. Thank you to Hyster Sisters!

s Mary

I am glad that you are doing so well.
We in the ovarian cancer community are trying to model ourselves after the breast cancer movement.
We still have a long way to go as evidenced by the Dept of Defense cancer research appropriations for 2004.


President Bush signed the FY2004 Defense Appropriations Act into law and thereby appropriated the following funds to continue the CDMRP programs:
Breast Cancer $150M
Prostate Cancer $85M
Neurofibromatosis $20M
Ovarian Cancer $10M
Leukemia (CML) $4.25M
Tuberous Sclerosis $3M
It is anticipated that Program Announcements will be released in the November 2003 to February 2004 timeframe. Please check back for further information about specific release dates.

At the Phila Race for the Cure last spring, I manned a table for ovarian cancer awareness. Breast cancer survivors as a group, are not aware of the link between ovarian, breast and colon cancer. More advocacy work is needed in this area as well.

karenann

Mary-
So glad to hear you are a survivor of breast cancer and an advocate of a worthy cause: ACS and Relay for Life.

My sister is a 9 year survivor of breast cancer. We participated together last spring in our local relay for life. What a wonderful feeling celebrating victory over cancer with survivors from my community regardless of origen of our cancers. This is what the fight against cancer should be about: no gender or type boundries.

Both brca and gyne ca are worthy causes. Karenann is right. Advocates for both causes do need to find ways to work together.
s

Ruth S

Just want to add a fourth cancer to the breast-ovarian-colon grouping Karenann mentioned. Survivors of endometrial cancer have both an increased risk of breast and colon cancer.

I also know that a friend of mine who was treated for colorectal cancer was advised by her oncologist that she is at an increased risk of endometrial cancer.

We are both receiving more frequent surveillance and testing for these related cancers than we otherwise would due to our cancer histories.

MoeKay

Mary - thanks for your eloquent post. I am so happy you are a survivor! I am wearing my pink ribbon all month in honor of friends and family members who have survived and sadly those who have lost the battle.
I thank MoeKay too for bringing Endometrial cancer up - it's the most common gynecological cancer - and the most treatable when caught early. 6,000 women in the US will die from this cancer in 2003 needlessly. When I was diagnosed I was not even aware of this particular cancer, and did not have symptoms.
More research needs to be done on genetic links to breast/ovarian/endometrial/colon cancers. Wouldn't it be nice if we could all be tested for BRCA1, BRCA2, FAP, HNPCC and have it be affordable? SIGH!
Jan

Excellent post and reminder for all women to get their mammograms done or scheduled.

My mother died from breast cancer that went to bone cancer, then to the spine and to the brain.

I've been having mammograms done since I was 30, since the doctors determined my risk factor was higher than norm. Thankfully, in all of these years now nothing has shown up. But it's a continual concern for me. Especially now since they took out everything and put me on Estrogen. This factor just scares the heck out of me, but my doctor reassures me I have no reason to feel this way, as the studies for Estrogen, etc., do not apply in my case. Though that didn't make me feel much better to be honest.

It's great you are a survivor and I'm glad you are!

Many women don't realize the correlation between breast, colon, and edometrial cancers. My mother had both colon and breast cancer, along with cervical cancer. Her family history is filled with cancer. So I make darn sure I get my check ups!