  September 2011 - Two new studies demonstrate that bi-lateral mastectomies (double) for no medical reason, do NOT improve survival. Why do it? Don't be frightened into this over-treatment. Unless there is a specific medical need that is determined AFTER discussion with your trusted medical advisor AND some research on your part, avoid too much surgery. Source: Article from Elsevier Global News, September 7, 2011 Information presented at ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium Breast Cancer Deadline 2020 The National Breast Cancer Coalition - an umbrella organization - has come to believe that we are not approaching the struggle to eradicate breast cancer in the right way. They say we ALL need to truly commit. The Annie Appleseed Project has completely signed on to this idea - our view is that treatment is not really effective, it is overdone for most people, not appropriate for far too many (whose disease will become metastatic), and not much is done for real PREVENTION. We hope all are aware that screening does NOT prevent breast cancer. We have to look in new directions. Environmental poisons anyone? What we eat, or don't eat? Our lack of exercise? Stressful lives? All of this and more! Click on the header to get more information about the Deadline 2020. 100% of Donations support our programs - this website, attendance at medical, research, scientific meetings, literature distribution, advertising, subscriptions, fees etc. Administrative costs are covered by Steve Wolman and members of the Fonfa family - including telephone and electricity. There are NO paid staff. December 2010 Gwen Stritter, MD started a great blog on breast cancer issues. One of her posts is on Metformin - a diabetes drug that has been shown to impact breast cancer in a variety of beneficial ways. Take a look. Also note there is a page on our site about N-acetyl cisteine that seems to indicate it can act similarly! http://strittermed.org/breast_equity/2010/12/10/conventional-oncologists-finally-prove-what-alternative-oncologists-have-known-for-years/ December 2010 Some of our volunteers were at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium - we were trying to learn the latest AND to question everything. There are few Integrative discussions but this year George Wong, PhD, (the Chinese herbalist who worked with Ann Fonfa to resolve her recurrences) had a poster on Chinese herbs for breast cancer. You can share in what is going on by using this link, Dec 9-12: http://media.curetoday.com/sabcs2010/index.html October 2010 Interesting article just published in J Integrative Cancer Therapies on natural substance that works on metastatic HUMAN breast cancer cells See article below under Issues in Advanced Disease July 2010 Aspirin as "prevention"? See article below in our section on Updates on Issues of Importance March 2010 Ther were two presentations at the European Breast Cancer Conference (Barcelona)that suggested that mastectomy might not be the only option for patients who are BRCA carriers or have BRCA-related breast cancer. Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal. Review Women with mutation-related breast cancer lived just as long with breast-conserving surgery as they did with mastectomy, data from longitudinal clinical studies showed. Survival curves were virtually superimposable out to 20 years, when breast cancer-specific survival was almost 90% among patients with BRCA-related breast cancer treated with radical or conservative surgery. But local failure occurred almost five times as often with breast-conserving surgery, Lori Pierce, MD, of the University of Michigan, reported here at the European Breast Cancer Conference. Nonetheless, those local recurrences did not translate into an increased risk of metastatic recurrence. Moreover, the local recurrence rate with breast conservation plummeted with adjuvant chemotherapy, such that the difference from mastectomy was no longer significant. "Increased local failure after breast-conserving therapy did not translate into increased systemic recurrence at 15 years or a reduction in breast cancer-specific or overall survival," Pierce said. The above text came from www.medpagetoday.com February 2010: Combining tamoxifen, the world’s most prescribed breast cancer agent, with a compound found in the flowering plant feverfew may prevent initial or future resistance to the drug, say researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. August 2008 - We just found a way to use LARGE PRINT on our pages - while adding that feature we reread an article on grape seed extract and Adriamycin/doxorubicin. Tested in breast cancer cells only back in 2004, this combo seemed to work synergistically (enhancing chemo) and regardless or estrogen status. Interestingly other studies show that grape seed extract is an aromatase inhibitor. You can search on grape seed or grapeseed on our site for more on this excellent supplement. Since her own diagnosis in January 1993, Ann Fonfa has attended many meetings on this topic. She has spent over 9 years learning the issues. There are many other women contributing their wisdom. If you have had surgery for breast cancer and had axillary node dissection, check out the information on lymphedema. 8/03 Update: We have recently been hearing that even those who had a sentinel node biopsy have been developing lymphedema. Some think it is radiation-induced, but it may be happening without it as well. Feedback on this is welcomed. Johns Hopkins Breast Center has a free medical journal, called Artemis. www.hopkinsmedicine.org/breastcenter/artemis There used to be an organization called The Mid Atlantic Breast Cancer Information Exchange that covered what was news in alternative/complementary therapies (from a patient/mainstream perspective). But they seem to have ceased publishing. Still it was very cool to see that they included this type of information from their beginning (s early as 1994). Take a look at MAMM magazine. It is designed for survivors of breast, ovarian and other women's cancers. You can contact them at subscription@mamm.com (888)901-mamm Website www.mamm.com If you are thinking of surgery, look at the information on sentinel node biopsy and other new techniques. 4/99 All mammography facilities nationwide are now required to provide a lay summary of the examination results directly to all patients. The examination results are still provided to the referring health care provider for those who have a provider. If self-referred then the woman/man receives the reports directly. Ann's NOTE: 1/01 I just received a review copy of Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book, Third Edition. Chapter 29 on p.496 discusses complementary/alternative therapies. Dr. Love's book is often referred to as "the bible" for breast cancer, and it was the first book I read on the subject. Check out the links area for many connections. Some local groups do not yet have websites. You can check your local phone book, Chamber of Commerce, or other non-profits in town. Finally, Ann and other advocates attend lots of meetings on issues around breast cancer. The Meetings section on the front page of this website will contain the summaries. If you want to be online with other people with breast cancer who use alternative therapies: To Subscribe to the Amazon Listserv address an email to LISTSERV@TECHUNIX.TECHNION.AC.IL and type SUBSCRIBE AMAZON-L YOURNAME in the message box. To Unsubscribe send a message to the same address and type SIGNOFF AMAZON-L This large section contains extensive information for men with breast cancer. You are not alone. |
| Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encyclopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM. |