The Best and the worst

Two questions came up this weekend that I thought I would share:

1.  What is the BEST thing I can do for myself to prevent breast cancer?

• Get up and get moving!

2.  What is the worst thing I can do?  (i.e. to get breast cancer)

• Be sedentary.

Numerous studies have shown the preventive effects of movement, activity, and exercise for preventing breast cancer.  Numerous studies have shown the deleterious effects of being sedentary: the longer you sit still, the more likely you are to get breast cancer.   

So, get up and get moving!

If you want to make certain that you do not have breast cancer and then learn more things you may do to be proactive and reduce your risk for breast cancer,  call to make an appointment, 512-451-5788.

Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases this year!

This is general information and not personal medical advice. 

Breast Health

Have you exercised yet, today?

Why?  

Over 100 studies have shown a 15-20% reduction in the number of breast cancers in women who exercise.


Have you taken your Omega 3 today?

Why?

A very large study in the US has shown a 30% reduction in the number of breast cancers in women who take an Omega 3 supplement.  The highest quality I could find you can get at www.oewmd.com.



Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases this year!

This is general content and not personal medical advice.

86,000! Really and Truly?

Yes!  Really and truly 86,000 fewer breast cancers each year.  But how does that work.  

We have the results of the studies.  We all know what works.  It's all in my blog posts.  So what do you do to be part of the solution?  Not just for you but for your friends.

Share the blog!

You know the plan: you tell 5 and they tell 5.  But let's try 7 (P R E V E N T) and tell them to tell 7.  After all 49 and 343 are far greater than 25 and 125.  

See how powerful P R E V E N T is!


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases each year!


This is powerful content!  Share!

The 7 steps to IDEAL Breast Cancer Prevention

PROACTIVE: you have the opportunity!

REJOICE: reduce your risk and feel better!

EAT RIGHT: for some this translates to eat less and more fruits and veggies!

VISIT: with your doctor about aspirin, WINOmega3 or other supplements (www.oewmd.com)            or even a prescription risk reduction drug.

EXERCISE: no conversation about prevention with out it!

NOT SITTING: being sedentary is the worst thing you can do to yourself!

TESTING: find out which is for you: HALO, BREVAGen, BRACAnalysis.



Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases this year!


You can live IDEAL prevention!


This is general content and not personal medical advice, but I will help you with any of these steps (search the blog, comment below, email or call me at 512-451-5788).

Can we know if tamoxifen is working?

Yes!?  Maybe.  Initial results are suggestive.

In a study published in J Natl Cancer Inst, Cuzick, et al, report an intriguing finding http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/103/9/744.full.  In a subset of patients from the International Breast Cancer Intervention Study (we call it IBIS-1) they compared breast density of those that got cancer who took tamoxifen and those that did not.  If breast density decreased by more than 10% on mammograms at 12-18 months, then the women in that group had 63% fewer cancers!  Less density reduction was associated with no risk reduction.  46% of women showed >10% reduction in density.

Admittedly, this was a small study and not controlled for all variables and defining breast density is operator dependent.  But, it is exciting to think that we might be able to save half of the women who might take tamoxifen long-term from the side effects.  If we knew it wasn't working for that woman, we could stop it or maybe try another medicine.

Another step closer to personalized medicine for breast cancer prevention!   In the mean time it probably is time for some exercise!


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases this year!


This is general content and not personal medical advice.

Breast Density as a Biomarker for Breast Cancer Risk

We have previously posted about the risk of breast density: women with more dense breast tissue on mammogram have more breast cancers http://drwinsett.blogspot.com/2012/03/link-between-progesterone-and-breast.html.

Breast density poses two problems: increased risk for breast cancer and decreased ability of the mammogram to "find" the cancer in the dense tissue http://drwinsett.blogspot.com/2013/02/know-your-breast-density.html.  The latter finding has led to the recommendation of supplemental screening (in addition to and not replacing the mammogram) for those women with dense breast tissue.  

Can we change the dense breast tissue into less dense tissue and does that lower the breast cancer risk?  We will see tomorrow that decreasing the breast density is associated with fewer breast cancers.  If we had a medicine or surgical technique or life style change that would change the density it could be a biomarker of the effectiveness of the intervention.  The intervention would be working to decrease the breast cancer risk in those whose breast density was decreasing.  Just as cardiologists follow statin drug effectiveness with cholesterol measurements we could follow the effectiveness of our intervention with breast  density measurements.  Sounds exciting, doesn't it?

Check back tomorrow for one of the answers!


Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancers this year!


This content is general and not personal medical advice, but you should know your breast density!

A reminder about the BRCA 1 & 2 genetic deleterious mutations

A brief hiatus in our breast cancer prevention series for the sporadic or breast cancers which apply to 80% of women (most women who get breast cancer don't have a family history of breast cancer).  

Some 20% of women have a familial history of breast cancer and in 5-7% a deleterious mutation in the breast cancer genes, BRCA 1 & 2 can be found.  Since the deleterious mutations in these genes may carry almost a 90% life-time risk of breast cancer and 45% risk of ovarian cancer, it is worth reviewing to whom the test might apply.  Because a high profile figure described her experiences today in the NYTimes http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/14/opinion/my-medical-choice.html?hpw&_r=0, I decided to review the Hereditary Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer Syndrome Testing Criteria established by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.  You may find more information at the NCCN website http://www.nccn.org/patients/default.asp, but I will summarize some of the guidelines so that if any of these apply to you, you may ask your doctor about the test.

Testing for the BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation may apply to you if:

• Anyone in your family has been tested and has a BRCA1/2 mutation
• You have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have one of the following:
• diagnosed < 45 years old
• diagnosed any age with one close blood relative with breast cancer < 50 years old
• diagnosed any age with one close blood relative with ovarian cancer any age
• you have 2 separate breast cancer before age 50
• diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer < 60 years old
• diagnosed < 50 years with limited family history
• diagnosed at any age with 2 or more blood relatives with breast cancer
• diagnosed at any age with 2 relatives with high grade prostate cancer
• close male relative with breast cancer
• any woman of ethnicity associated with high mutation frequency (eg Ashkenazi)
• You have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer
• Personal history of male breast cancer
• Personal history of pancreatic or aggressive prostate cancer with 2 blood relatives with breast and/or ovarian cancer and/or pancreatic or prostate cancer
• Three blood relatives on the same side of the family with breast and/or ovarian cancer

See how complicated it can get?  These are the most frequent reasons for testing, but tell your doctor all your family history of cancer, not just breast and ovarian, but prostate and pancreatic.

Thanks to Angelina Jolie for her op-ed.

Together we can prevent 86,000 breast cancer cases this year!

This is content is general and not personal medical advice, but remember to  ask your doctor if you have a family history of the above, or call me for help: 512-451-5788.