“Clothing For Breast Cancer Survivors With Lymphedema” plus 4 more |
- Clothing For Breast Cancer Survivors With Lymphedema
- Vitamin D & Breast Cancer Risk
- Breast Cancer - How to Succeed - Part 3
- How to Deal With Symptoms of Breast Cancer
- Breast Cancer - How to Reduce Your Risk
| Clothing For Breast Cancer Survivors With Lymphedema Posted: 13 Nov 2009 08:48 AM PST At age 43 I underwent a lumpectomy and radiation for treatment of my breast cancer. After recovery I found that knitted and spandex tops did not lie as well on my chest. Nor did swimsuits. They accented the asymmetry of my busts. When I developed lymphedema in my left arm, stretchy apparel looked worse due to my swollen arm. In addition to sweaters I shunned garments with deeper necklines and shallow armholes. Further, since I couldn't lift anything heavy with my left arm, I was limited in how I could tote bags with shoulder straps. All these limitations made me feel like a fashion flop. When I had a recurrence, I opted for a double mastectomy without reconstruction. I use prostheses for both breasts, making asymmetry less of a challenge. Still I have remained self-conscious of my appearance, wanting to disguise my new-normal body with something at least halfway attractive. Solutions to these problems do exist. I'm not referring to pink-hued or pink-ribbon-adorned attire to promote breast cancer awareness, although wearing these items is a wonderful way to express support for a loved one afflicted with cancer. Rather I'm referring to practical, stylish clothing that disguises flaws and emphasizes the good features of a breast cancer survivor's figure, while not appearing to be designed for medical purposes. Swimwear is one such example. I'm a big proponent of mastectomy bathing suits, since swimming is such a great exercise, and more importantly, I love to get in the water. The swimsuits I've seen with pockets for prostheses are both functional and fashionable these days. According to some experts, the most contemporary--albeit more expensive-mastectomy swimsuit styling comes from a line called Anita. Another brand, Amoena, offers a large selection of elegant beachwear to flatter any figure. Other lines of mastectomy bathing suits and caftans include It Figures, T.H.E. and Gottex. According to WebMD's Breast Cancer Guide, the most popular swimsuit style for women who've undergone a mastectomy is the tankini, a two-piece suit that completely covers the torso. These come in a variety of designs, including a blouson top. I can attest to the practicality and versatility of this type of beachwear. For arm lymphedema, compression braces have come a long way. Fashionable yet medically functional garments are offered by such innovators as Lymphedivas LLC and Slice of Fashion LLC. There's nothing like a black lacy gauntlet or zebra-zag armsleeve to turn heads and stop conversation at a cocktail party. At least one company has developed apparel designed specifically for breast cancer survivors with lymphedema. Sansu Function Designs for Living, established through collaboration between Princess Margaret Hospital and Ryerson University School of Fashion in Toronto, Canada, provides an array of innovative products. One of Sansu's most noted items is a modular bag with a belt to enable the wearer to hold her arm comfortably in a sling design or use the bag as a stylish waist pack. After I had lymphedema, I went back to using my "fanny packs." Even though out of style, they were extremely practical for my active lifestyle. This trendy Sansu bag would never be a fashion faux pas. Sansu also developed a carry-all coat with dropped shoulders and removable lining, a fleece scarf cape, a dolman-style knitted top with kangaroo pocket for resting the arms or carrying items, and an oxford blouse with dropped shoulders, loose cuffs and magnetic button closures. This company is currently designing patterns to allow seamstresses to make their own clothing for patients with upper body and arm lymphedema. I am encouraged by how far companies have come in making breast cancer survivors with lymphedema feel less conspicuous in their clothing and more confident in their appearance. While attractiveness may not be every survivor's focus, the availability of chic attire goes a long way to help many survivors, especially younger women, recover emotionally and psychosocially from their cancer treatments. I challenge more in the garment industry to be avant-garde in their approach to this subpopulation of women who love donning trendy outfits. Can athletic garb geared for the cancer survivor with lymphedema be far behind? This content has passed through fivefilters.org.  |
| Vitamin D & Breast Cancer Risk Posted: 12 Nov 2009 12:49 PM PST The information in this column is intended for informational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice or recommendations by the author. Please consult with your physician before making any lifestyle or medication changes, or if you have any other concerns regarding your health. VITAMIN D & BREAST CANCER RISK As regular readers of this column already know, Vitamin D is a very hot molecule in the world of cancer prevention research. While there have been contradictory results among various clinical research studies regarding the proper role of Vitamin D in the prevention of cancer, there is a growing tally of clinical and laboratory research studies suggesting that higher levels of Vitamin D in the blood may be associated with a lower risk of developing certain cancers. Now, another clinical research trial, just published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, adds further weight to the theory that Vitamin D may, in fact, significantly reduce the risk of developing certain cancers. This study involved 2,465 women who were scheduled for diagnostic mammograms. Blood levels of Vitamin D were measured in these women prior to performing their mammograms. Of these nearly 2,500 women, 142 were subsequently confirmed to have a breast cancer. An additional 420 women participating in this study were matched with the newly diagnosed breast cancer patients in terms of age, menopausal status, and other factors known to play a role in breast cancer risk. (This group of 420 women turned out not to have breast cancer, following their mammograms, and so they served as a "control group" for this prospective clinical research study.) As with several previous Vitamin D cancer prevention studies that I have previously reviewed, the results of this study were quite interesting. After analyzing their data, this study's authors determined that the women with the highest levels of Vitamin D in their blood experienced a 48 percent reduction in the relative risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer when compared to the women with the lowest levels of Vitamin D. The evidence for a potential protective effect of Vitamin D against cancer is, arguably, strongest for colon and rectal cancer. However, there is a growing body of research hinting at a potential protective effect for Vitamin D against breast cancer, as well. (As is virtually always the case for disease prevention research, however, there have been several research studies that have failed to identify a cancer prevention benefit for Vitamin D.) Clearly, additional research is necessary to ferret out the appropriate role of Vitamin D in cancer prevention, and large prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical research (with long term follow-up of patients) will be necessary to resolve the conflicting cancer prevention research data with respect to Vitamin D. Meanwhile, given the stronger data for Vitamin D and colorectal cancer prevention (and for cardiovascular disease prevention, as well), Vitamin D remains, essentially, the only vitamin for which there is at least moderate clinical evidence supporting a potential cancer prevention benefit. As always, before starting a new vitamin supplement, or other nutritional supplement, I encourage patients to see their personal physician first. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Breast Cancer - How to Succeed - Part 3 Posted: 12 Nov 2009 11:46 AM PST Classification The accepted form of Breast Cancer classification divides all the different forms of breast cancer into four distinct groups, viz. pathology, the particular grade of the tumor, the expression (by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a gene product, such as a protein) of proteins and genes, and the stage at which the tumor has reached. Each of these groupings is in accordance with different criteria and each serves a different purpose. Such classifications are normally based on the histological (anatomy of the cells) appearance of the tissue in the tumor. Rare variants may be identified as a result of a physical examination. A typical example is that of Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). This is a particular form of a malignant cancer which is found in the ducts. This variant is distinguished from other carcinomas by the inflamed appearance of the affected breast. Consider now the four groups in turn: Pathology - A pathologist will identify each tumor according to its histological appearance, and other characteristics. The most common forms of breast cancer are: (a) a malignant (become progressively worse and potentially result in death) cancer in the breast's ducts (is a channel leading from an organ), and (b) a malignant cancer in the breast's lobules (is a clear anatomical division only visible histologically. Tumor's Grade - The histological grade of a tumor is normally ascertained by a pathologist using a microscope, and applying the Bloom-Richardson grading system which examines the particular cell and tissue structure of the cancer in order to determine how aggressive and invasive the cancer may be. According to this system:
Protein and gene expression - It is recommended that all breast cancers for the detectable effect of the estrogen receptor (a group of protein molecules that are activated by the hormone estrogen) ER, progesterone receptor (is a steroid that specifically binds progesterone) PR, and HER2/neu (is a protein associated with higher aggressiveness in breast cancers) proteins. The pathologist's report contains the results from these tests. A particular tumors expression profile forms the basis whereby the outcome can be predicted. In this way, an oncologist (is a branch of medicine dealing with tumors associated with cancer) may, more effectively, choose the most appropriate treatment of the tumor. The stage the tumor has reached - The system used to determine the stage at which the cancer has reached is the TNM classification of Malignant Tumors (TNM). This is a particular system that has been designed to describe the extent to which a cancer has spread throughout a patient's body. It is defined by: "T" identifies the size of the tumor and whether or not it has invaded surrounding tissue
Breast Cancer - How To Succeed This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| How to Deal With Symptoms of Breast Cancer Posted: 12 Nov 2009 09:48 AM PST Breast cancer is a cancer that starts in the cells of the breast in women and men. Worldwide, it is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer, 10% of all cancer incidences, both sexes counted and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. In 2005, it caused 502,000 deaths worldwide. Because the breast is composed of identical tissues in males and females, breast cancer also occurs in males. Incidences of this cancer in men are approximately 100 times less common than in women, but men are considered to have the same statistical survival rates as women. Today, like other forms of cancer, it is considered to be the final outcome of multiple environmental and hereditary factors. The first subjective sign is typically a lump that feels different than the surrounding breast tissue. More than 80% of this disease cases are discovered when the woman feels a lump. According to the American Cancer Society, the first objective indication of breast cancer as detected by a physician is discovered by mammogram. Lumps found in lymph nodes located in the armpits. Other indications may include changes in breast size or shape, skin dimpling, nipple inversion, or spontaneous single-nipple discharge. Pain is an unreliable tool in determining the presence of cancer. When cancer invades the breast cell, dermal lymphatic, and its presentation can resemble skin inflammation and thus is known as inflammatory. Symptoms of inflammatory include pain, swelling, warmth and redness throughout the breast, as well as an orange peel texture to the skin. Most symptoms of breast disorder do not turn out to represent underlying breast cancer. The appearance of a new symptom should be taken seriously by both patients and their doctors, because of the possibility of an underlying breast cancer at almost any age. This content has passed through fivefilters.org.  |
| Breast Cancer - How to Reduce Your Risk Posted: 12 Nov 2009 08:07 AM PST This past month, in the United States the spotlight has been on "buying pink" to fund breast cancer research. Even with all this funding, breast cancer in women in the United States has quadrupled in the last 40 years, causing physical and emotional pain for women and their families. Donna Eden, a medical intuitive, explains how she can "see" the energetic influence of a bra on our bodies. Especially an underwire bra stops the natural flow of energy and fluids through the lymphatic systems in our breasts. Scientific evidence supports the connection between bras and breast disease. The theory is that bras can inhibit the proper functioning of the lymphatic system, which is an internal network of vessels and nodes that flushes wastes from the body. Accumulated wastes and toxins from the breast can result in fibrocystic changes (benign lumps, cysts, and pain) and create a breeding ground for various problems, including cancer. Studies show that women who breastfeed and/or exercise regularly have a lower incidence of breast disease - but not as low as bra-free women. Lymphatic circulation is highly dependent on movement. Each subtle bounce of the breast gently massages the breast and increases lymphatic flow, cleaning the breast of toxins. Bra-free women are constantly promoting lymphatic flow. Wearing a bra constricts the natural flow. However, you may not be ready to go completely bra-free. There is a simple and quick way you can promote lymphatic flow: Self-massage. The neurolymphatic system circles each breast, and naturally flows to the lymph nodes under the arm. Begin in the center of your chest, and massage around the top of the breasts to the outside, toward and into the underarm. Then do the same for the underside of the breasts, beginning at the center of the chest, around the underneath of the breast to the underarm. The best prevention is massaging each breast daily, either at night when you remove your bra, or in the shower. At first, your breasts may be sore. Start gently, increasing the pressure as the soreness dissipates. As the toxins are released, you might experience some detox symptoms... mild to medium tiredness, sinus congestion, headaches, some cramping, etc. Treat yourself well, drink plenty of water, get plenty of rest, and keep massaging. Protect your breasts. This quick and easy cleansing of your lymph system could just be the safest, easiest and most effective way to reduce the risk of breast cancer, and perhaps even prevent it from ever occurring. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
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