Paint Virginia Pink

The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool is an interactive tool designed by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) to estimate a woman’s risk of developing invasive breast cancer. The tool has been updated for African American women based on the Contraceptive and Reproductive Experiences (CARE) Study. Continue reading »

According to the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (2009, August 17).

- Breast cancer survivors who lift weights are less likely than their non-weightlifting peers to experience worsening symptoms of lymphedema, the arm- and hand-swelling condition that plagues many women following surgery for their disease, according to new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research published in the August 13 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The findings challenge the advice commonly given to lymphedema sufferers, who may worry that weight training or even carrying children or bags of groceries will exacerbate their symptoms.

“Our study challenges the historical medical recommendations for women who get lymphedema after breast cancer, and is another example of well-meaning medical advice turning out to be misguided,” says lead author Kathryn Schmitz, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and a member of Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center. “For instance, we used to tell those who had back pain to rest, but we know now that in many cases, inactivity can actually make a bad back worse. Too many women have missed out on the health and fitness benefits that weight lifting provides, including building bone density. Our study shows that breast cancer survivors can safely participate in slowly progressive weight lifting and gain those benefits without any increase in their lymphedema symptoms. In fact, this type of exercise may actually help them feel better.”

In the largest study to date to examine the impact of weight training on this sometimes debilitating, incurable condition, Schmitz’s team enrolled 141 breast cancer survivors with a current diagnosis of lymphedema. Half were assigned to a weight-lifting group that participated in small- group, twice-weekly, 90-minute exercise classes for 13 weeks. During that time, with guidance from trained fitness instructors in community fitness centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, the women worked up to greater resistance and more sets of weightlifting exercise. For the next 39 weeks, the women continued twice-weekly unsupervised exercise, with trainers calling to check in on women who missed more than one session per week. The women wore a custom-fitted compression garment on their affected arm during their workouts, and each week were asked about changes in symptoms. Their arms were measured monthly to ensure any changes were noted as soon as they occurred. The 70 control group participants, meanwhile, were asked not to change their exercise level during study participation.

During the course of the study, women in the weightlifting group experienced fewer exacerbations of their condition, and a reduction in symptoms compared to the women who did not lift weights. There were 19 women in the control group who experienced lymphedema exacerbations that required treatment from a physical therapist, compared to 9 in the treatment group. The proportion of women who experienced an increase of five percent or more in their limb swelling was similar in both groups — 11 percent of the weight-lifting group and 12 percent in the control group. The researchers theorize that a controlled weightlifting program may have protective benefits, by boosting strength in affected limbs enough to ward off injuries from everyday activities that can aggravate lymphedema symptoms.

“Our study shows that participating in a safe, structured weight-lifting routine can help women with lymphedema take control of their symptoms and reap the many rewards that resistance training has on their overall health as they begin life as a cancer survivor,” Schmitz says. “We did the intervention in community fitness centers deliberately, in the hope that positive results seen in our study would continue to be available to breast cancer survivors long beyond the end of the research study.”

It is recommended that women start with a slowly progressive program, supervised by a certified fitness professional, in order to learn how to do these types of exercises properly. Women with lymphedema should also wear a well-fitting compression garment during all exercise sessions. The new research was conducted in partnership with YMCAs in Philadelphia, Montgomery and Delaware Counties in Pennsylvania and in Burlington County in New Jersey, as well as Sisters-In-Shape Fitness in Philadelphia. Staff at the Edison-Metuchen YMCA in New Jersey have also been trained to deliver this intervention.

The research was supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Research Resources.

Inflammatory breast cancer is a rare but very aggressive type of breast cancer in which the cancer cells block the lymph vessels in the skin of the breast. This type of breast cancer is called “inflammatory” because the breast often looks swollen and red, or “inflamed.” IBC accounts for 1 to 5 percent of all breast cancer cases in the United States (1). It tends to be diagnosed in younger women compared to non-IBC breast cancer. It occurs more frequently and at a younger age in African Americans than in Whites. Like other types of breast cancer, IBC can occur in men, but usually at an older age than in women. Some studies have shown an association between family history of breast cancer and IBC, but more studies are needed to draw firm conclusions

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/IBC

Acupuncture can help breast cancer patients deal with the side effects of their treatment, according to a new study.

In fact, researchers said, acupuncture does more than just treat hot flashes and sweating; they said it also increases a sense of well-being, gives more energy and a higher sex drive.  Those benefits were not seen in traditional medications, which can also carry negative side effects such as insomnia, dizziness and nausea, according to a news release on the study.  “The effect is more durable than a drug commonly used to treat these (excessive sweating) and, ultimately, is more cost-effective for insurance companies,” said lead author Dr. Eleanor Walker, a radiation oncologist at the Henry Ford Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology in Detroit.

The reduction in hot flashes lasted longer for those breast cancer patients after completing their acupuncture treatment, compared to patients after stopping their drug therapy plan.  Eighty percent of women treated for breast cancer suffer from hot flashes after being treated with chemotherapy and/or anti-estrogen hormones, such as Tamoxifen and Arimidex.  The news release said the study was based on a randomized trial with 47 patients who had either acupuncture or Venlafixine. Results showed that acupuncture reduced hot flashes as effectively as venlafaxine, with no side effects.

Breast Cancer
and Latino Women

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among Latino women, even though more white women are diagnosed with breast cancer. Only 38% of Latino women age 40 and over have regular mammograms. This means Latino women are often diagnosed at later, harder-to-treat stages of breast cancer. Access to top-quality care and genetics may contribute to increased risk. Learn more about your personal risk for breast cancer.

Title: 2009 Avon 3-Day Walk
Location: Boston
Link out: Click here
Description: The Breast Cancer 3-Day journey will continue next year in 15 cities across the country, including our newest destination - Denver, Colorado!
Start Date: 2009-07-24
End Date: 2009-07-26

Latinas Unhappy with Breast Cancer Decisions

Dr. Sarah Hawley of the University of Michigan recently reported that Latina breast cancer patients are more likely than black or white breast cancer patients to be unhappy with the decision-making process in choosing whether to have a mastectomy or lumpectomy. Latinas who primarily speak Spanish in daily life were much more dissatisfied than those who were more comfortable with speaking English. Satisfaction with the process of making decisions is linked with quality of life later on.

Dr. Hawley and colleagues looked at a group of 877 women; 24.5% Spanish-speaking Latinas, 20.5% English-speaking Latinas, 24% African-American, and 26.6% Caucasian. They found stark differences in satisfaction among the groups, with Spanish-speaking Latinas 5.5 times more likely to be dissatisfied with the decision-making process than Caucasian women, and 4.1 times more likely to regret their decision. Spanish-speaking Latinas also had a lower overall health literacy than the women in the other groups. However, that lower health literacy accounted fro only a small part of their greater dissatisfaction with decision-making.

Hawley concluded that their findings “suggest that additional effort may be needed by clinicians to ensure that information is understandable and culturally appropriate….”

Decisions about our cancer care are difficult, especially for breast cancer patients chosing between mastectomy and lumpectomy. This shows, once again, that more needs to be done to make sure that all people get adequate, appropriate information and care.

A good resource for Latinos and Latinas is Redes en Accion: National Latino Cancer Research Network (www.redesenaccion.org). They work with the National Institutes of Health to promote research and support for Latinos. Included on their website is a Latino Cancer Experts Directory.

Thanks Julie for sharing this information.

Julie Goodale is a certified Personal Trainer, American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM); certified Cancer Exercise Specialist, Cancer Exercise Training Institute as well as a musician performing at Wintergreen, Virginia’s music festivals.  In addition, Julie speaks from the experience of being a breast cancer survivor.

Greetings,

If this is the first time you have visited Paint Virginia Pink, welcome.  I hope you will page through to see what we are about and what we are doing.

Our “Paint The Valley Pink©” campaign is still going strong.  In fact, many of the merchants decided that our cause was so worthwhile, they are continuing to help throughout the coming year.  We could not fund mammograms for women who are uninsured and/or not eligible for local and state funded programs.  You’d be amazed at how many women in your local communities fall into this category.

Since the campaign launched in October, 2008, we have collected four wigs, over $300.00 and one local business has prepaid for one mammogram in our name.

If you would like to “Paint Your Town Pink©” let us know.  We are starting up chapters across the United States.

Please let your friends and family know about us and I encourage you to share your story with us.

Have a blessed Holiday Season!

Fran