Finding a cure now...so our daughters won't have to.

Posts Tagged ‘women’

Reconstructive Surgery Update: Silicone Breast Implants Not ‘Lifetime Devices’

Posted By on July 15th, 2011 at 8:54 am | 0 comments.

According to a recent FDA report, silicone breast implants are not made to last a lifetime.  Potentially half of all women who receive them for reconstruction – and 20% of women who receive the implants for augmentation — will need the implants removed within 10 years.

The conclusion was reached after the FDA examined data from post-approval studies and from its own adverse event reporting system, in conjunction with completing a literature review. Capsular contracture, reoperation, and implant removal were found to be the most frequent adverse outcomes with silicone implants. Other common adverse events of which women should be aware include implant rupture, wrinkling, asymmetry, scarring, pain, and infection. The longer the women had implants, the more likely they were to have complications.

While it is important to note that the data is preliminary, the implants did not appear to cause breast cancer, reproductive problems, or connective tissue disease.  If you experience any of these difficulties or complications, talk with your doctor about your options.

Request for Applications for Refunds for Research Grants

Posted By on July 15th, 2011 at 8:53 am | 0 comments.

Are you a breast or cervical cancer researcher in PA looking for additional funds? Dr. Marius Sudol, shown left,  is a past recipient of a PBCC Refunds for Breast & Cervical Cancer Research grant – and you could be next! $50,000 competitive grants are now available to PA researchers who apply. Thanks to Pennsylvania taxpayers generously donating their state tax refunds, over $2.8 million has been raised and every penny is given out in grants to cutting edge researchers.

Please visit PBCC.me/RFA for the full Request for Application and budget forms. Letters of intent are due to the PBCC by July 29th, and full proposals are due August 30th. The grant period is January 1, 2012 to December 30, 2012.

We encourage all breast and cervical cancer researchers to apply. Help spread the word to your personal and professional network about this opportunity. Please contact PBCC Program Director, Jennifer Pensinger at jennifer@pabreastcancer.org if you have any questions.

Home Run Derby in Full Swing!

Posted By on July 15th, 2011 at 8:52 am | 0 comments.

We kicked off the Home Run Derby with a rally at the Capitol in Harrisburg and have been on the road in the PBCC pink van ever since! Batters across the state have been stepping up to the plate with their family, friends, and coworkers in the stands to support them. Why don’t you come out and add your voice to the crowd?

If you live near one of the locations taking part in the Home Run Derby, we’d love it if you’d come out to show your support. Baseball fans, breast cancer survivors, community leaders and their families have been inspired to cheer on the teams and enjoy a day out at the ballpark while doing it. Who knows, maybe you’ll be motivated to be the one in the batter’s box next year?

So check out our website to find a location near you or to browse pictures from where we’ve already taken a swing against breast cancer. We’re still on the road for another couple of weeks, so keep your eyes out for our pink van, too! (If you see us on a highway near you, be sure to wave!)

PBCC Conference Awardees Announced

Posted By on July 15th, 2011 at 8:51 am | 0 comments.

Join us in honoring the 2011 PBCC Conference Award Recipients on Tuesday, October 11! Dr. Thomas G. Frazier, Medical Director of the Main Line Health – Bryn Mawr Comprehensive Breast Center, and Mimi Barash Coppersmith, Chairman of The Barash Group, will receive the Pink Ribbon Award. Dr. Susan Domchek of the Abramson Cancer Center and the University of Pennsylvania will be presented with the Potamkin Award.

 

The Shining Light Award will be given to Grassroots Partners Rob Ziemba and Jon Jehrio for their continued support of the PBCC through an annual ice hockey event featuring the Hanson Brothers. These deserving individuals have each made significant contributions to the fight against breast cancer. Their contributions vary in nature, with some battling the disease in a medical setting through treating patients or conducting research while others participate through advocacy or fundraising efforts. Want to be a part of the celebration? Register now to receive the early bird rate on your registration.

Two week countdown: 2011 PA Home Run Derby

Posted By on June 22nd, 2011 at 2:53 pm | 2 comments.

The countdown begins!  In just two weeks, the PA Breast Cancer Coalition will begin traveling around Pennsylvania hitting the 11 minor league ball parks in our annual Take a Swing Against Breast Cancer home run derby event. Sign up and submit your $500 team registration fee by the end of June and receive five free swings for your team! Every batter and volunteer who participates receives a bag filled with goodies and unforgettable memories!

So what exactly does the winning team get? Four one-of-a-kind hot pink baseball bats, and of course, bragging rights. This is your chance to step up to the plate where your favorite minor league teams play.

Over 60 teams have already registered for the Home Run Derby, but there is still plenty of room in the lineup.  Take advantage of the June special and give your clients, friends, family and co-workers a day of fun in the sun and the experience of a lifetime!

Can’t fill a team of four batters? Register as a single batter and you’ll compete with other individuals throughout the state. This is your chance to show your support for breast cancer survivors by helping a great cause. So grab your glove, lace up your shoes and put on your game face because it’s time to play ball!

 

Patient Resource: OncoLink.org

Posted By on June 15th, 2011 at 9:00 am | 0 comments.

Get accurate comprehensive online information about cancer at www.oncolink.org. The site is updated daily to offer the most up-to-date cancer treatment information and resources for patients and families. Read book reviews, participate in monthly webchats, or find a clinical trial. Nurses can access continuing education modules on a variety of cancer-related topics.

You might also like to react to and comment on cancer news on OncoLink’s blog, and each section features a selection from the OncoLink Art Gallery.

OncoLink is a service provided by the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Get Twice as Much Out of the Conference When You Bring a Friend

Posted By on June 15th, 2011 at 9:00 am | 0 comments.

Make your PBCC Annual Conference experience twice as nice by taking advantage of our Bring a Friend Conference Registration discount. Buddy up and sign up for the October 11, 2011 conference, which will feature workshops on topics to challenge your mind and your soul – topics ranging from surgical options for breast cancer to the healing power of forgiveness.

Early bird Bring a Friend Registration for the conference is $100, which covers the cost of two conference registrations. Register as a pair and treat a friend, sister, daughter, mother, or colleague to an inspiring day devoted to breast cancer issues. Individual early bird registrations are $65 each.

Confirmed workshop topics and presenters include:

Free Treatment: The Ins and Outs of PA’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Treatment Program presented by Joe Burkhart, PA Department of Health and Jane Marsteller, PA Department of Public Welfare

Inflammatory Breast Cancer presented by Massimo Cristofanilli, M.D., Fox Chase Cancer Center

Release! The Healing Power of Forgiveness presented by Rev. Dr. Michael Barry, Cancer Treatment Centers of America

Living Well During and After Breast Cancer: Stress Reduction and a Healthy Lifestyle presented by Aimée E. Todd-Pillman, PsyD, The Reading Hospital Regional Cancer Center and Amy Burke, Windber Medical Center

The Basics of Chemotherapy presented by Kathryn A. Peroutka, M.D., Andrews & Patel Associates, PC

The Latest In Breast Cancer Research and Clinical Trials presented by Priya Rastogi, M.D., NSABP

Breast Imaging 101 presented by Alison Chetlen, D.O., Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Does The Food We Eat Have an Impact on Our Health After Surviving Breast Cancer? presented by Dawn Palacios, R.D., LDN, Good Samaritan Hospital

Surgical Treatment Options for Breast Cancer: Which Way is the Pendulum Swinging Now? presented by Sun Yong Lee, M.D., FACS, Jefferson Breast Care Center

Many more workshops will be announced in the coming weeks, so please check the conference website for more details!

Chemo Brain is Real

Posted By on June 15th, 2011 at 9:00 am | 0 comments.

Written by Barbara Good, Ph.D.

For years, women in cancer support groups and those discussing their treatment with sympathetic friends or relatives have referred to a syndrome they call “chemo brain,” the somewhat amusing-sounding but all too real experience of many who undergo chemotherapy in the course of cancer treatment. At times complaints from cancer patients about forgetfulness, lack of coordination, or the inability to find certain words during speech have been looked at by some in the medical profession as a result of the stress of cancer treatment, or fatigue, or both.

A recent study at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle now lends credence to the idea that the symptoms cancer patients describe appear, in fact, to come at least in part from cancer treatment and that they may last for periods up to five years or more. The patients examined had undergone chemotherapy as part of bone marrow or stem cell transplants to treat blood cancers, but the researchers believe their findings to be applicable to breast cancer patients and to those who have undergone chemotherapy for other types of cancer. Verbal memory and motor problems lasted longer than five years in some of the patients examined, but information processing, multitasking, and executive function tasks seemed to be regained within five years.

PBCC Showcases Traveling Exhibit in Huntingdon County

Posted By on June 15th, 2011 at 9:00 am | 0 comments.

The PBCC’s traveling photo exhibit, 67 Women, 67 Counties: Facing Breast Cancer in Pennsylvania made a visit to Huntingdon County in May. The display, hosted in the main lobby of J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital, features photos and comments from women from each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties on their experience living with breast cancer. Huntingdon County exhibit participant and breast cancer survivor Billie Hammond (shown left) spoke at the opening reception.

PBCC Executive Director Heather Hibshman served as emcee for the opening reception. In addition to Billie and Heather, speakers at the reception included Joseph J. Peluso, J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital President & CEO; Maria T. Pettinger, M.D., Chief of Staff & Department of Radiology Medical Director of  J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital; and Pat Kepple, a local breast cancer survivor.

Special thanks to Christine Gildea, the Director of Marketing & Community Relations for the J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital for serving as committee chairperson.

The PBCC wishes to express our appreciation and gratitude to the PA Department of Health for their continued support of this educational and inspirational exhibit.

Survivor Spotlight: Cheryl Behrenshausen

Posted By on June 15th, 2011 at 9:00 am | 2 comments.

Cheryl Behrenshausen, shown left with her family at her daughter’s graduation, teaches first grade in the Shippensburg Area School District. She has been a school teacher for 27 years. Her husband Eric is an elementary school Phys Ed teacher. Two days before Christmas 2004 she had a biopsy following a screening mammogram. Two days after Christmas she got the breast cancer diagnosis.

She says that the mammogram saved her life, and she gives credit to the radiologist who was aggressive about following up on the suspicious finding. The tumor was only 1 centimeter. She had a mastectomy in January 2005 and recently completed 5 years of tamoxifen treatment.

She has a good friend, a co-worker who teaches right beside her. Their birthdays are two weeks apart, they are the same age, and have always been close. Her friend was diagnosed two weeks after Cheryl was. It was a real wake-up call to the school and many of the teachers began getting regular mammograms. Throughout the treatment process the two friends were grateful to have one another to lean on.

She and her husband Eric are big sports fans. She follows the Green Bay Packers and New York Yankees and the family has season tickets to Penn State football games. Cheryl is a member of the ABC’S support group in Carlisle and joins the other members of the group in volunteering at the PBCC Annual Conference registration booth.