Yes, Ma'am! Mammograms Are a Must!

God turned my mess into a message
By Lee McCracken, Guest Blogger

Dressed like twins, even though we were 13 months apart, my older sister and I were a striking pair at ages 5 and 6. She had red hair and freckles, and Mom dressed her in blues and greens. I was blond, and I donned the reds and pinks. Perhaps it was foreshadowing, but probably not.

Fast-forward 45 years. Pink is a staple in my wardrobe. Having been diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma (IDC) in 2009, I’m a member of the pink-ribbon club … whether I like it or not. I am lucky it was caught at Stage 1 (nothing had spread to the lymph nodes), and I now reflect on the nine months of surgery, reconstruction and recovery with a shrug as if it were no big deal. Truthfully, I’m a “glass half full” kinda gal and always tend to look on the bright side.

Before my diagnosis, I NEVER liked getting a mammogram — I was fibrocystic, and it always hurt and required an accompanying ultrasound. Today, I tell women breast cancer hurts even more!

In spring 2011, at the threshold of my 50th birthday, God laid a message on my heart … one that I thought just was going to be my team’s name for a breast cancer walk. Yet, the sassy, upbeat and inspiriting phrase has grown bigger than I could have imagined. At the urging of many marketing-savvy girlfriends, Yes, Maam! Mammograms Are A Must grew into a philanthropic social enterprise and a pink T-shirt I began merchandising on a local, and now a regional and national level.

It’s a simple, straight-forward message that doesn’t sexualize the female body. The feedback has been remarkable — women ages 25-85 and older say, “It’s really catchy!” And even though it’s for women about women, men are embracing the message in support of the ladies they love.

“Get Your Squeeze On!™” is my mantra, because early detection of breast cancer assures more options for treatment and higher survival rates. I envision women all over the country wearing their Yes, Maam! Mammograms Are A Must tee to the coffee house, grocery store and gym. It makes a sassy statement in southern style, and ladies take notice. I’ve seen them look at my tee and then shake their head, almost to say, “Oh yeah, I need to schedule that!” It’s even better when they give me a thumbs-up, indicating their annual appointment is behind them and the report was “all clear.”

Sadly, though, the fear factor is real … and women are BUSY. Research shows more than 50 percent of women ages 50+ either cancel their appointment or never get around to making it. Perhaps they don’t know this fact: When mammograms are scheduled every other year, some 30 percent of breast cancers can be missed.

To be totally honest, when a woman says, “Oh, I keep forgetting …” I want to smack her silly — especially if she has health insurance. Given the current economic climate, many women have to put the needs of their children first before tending to their own health. From the very beginning, T-shirt sales have helped to fund mammograms for women who don’t have health insurance. The cost of the tee is $20, and 25 percent ($5) is donated. Individuals, businesses/groups and stores that purchase or sell the tee are encouraged to designate a women’s healthcare charity in their community to receive the funds (hopefully earmarked for mammograms).

Having been a writer/editor - http://www.joyfulleewritten.com/ - for more than 28 years, I am energized by this second act of my life — an entrepreneur who’s engaging communities of women in the early detection of breast cancer. (Who knew a 50-year-old could master making memes and tweeting?) But beyond learning new skills, I’m living passionately with a new purpose. Building the Yes, Maam! Mammograms Are A Must  brand, connecting with awesome women and making new friends is a blessing I never could have imagined three years ago when I heard those fateful words: breast cancer. Yes, Ma'am, I'm a surTHRIVER!
                                                         
Lee McCracken
http://www.yesmaamtee.com/
www.Facebook.com/YesMaamMammograms
@YesMaamMammos (Twitter)



Lee McCracken lives with her husband, Stuart, in Denver, N.C., a suburb of Charlotte. She has a 20-year-old daughter, Megan, and an 11-year-old Bichon Frise, Benny. She enjoys traveling, photography, reading and gardening. Lee’s girlfriends keep her filled with inspiration and laughter!

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Breast Cancer Lymph Node Treatment Protocol Updated: For Up to 20% of Patients Removal of Cancerous Nodes Yields No Survival Advantage

A somewhat surprising and counterintuitive recommendation is the result of a multiyear breast cancer study: approximately 20% of women with breast cancer should not have cancerous lymph nodes from under their arms removed. This new approach to treatment was adopted by Memorial Sloan-Kettering, a renowned cancer treatment hospital in New York City in September 2010. Dr. Monica Morrow, chief of the breast service at Sloan-Kettering is one of the author's of the study supporting this new protocol which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on 2/9/11. The study found that the survival rate for patients whose lymph nodes were removed is very similar to the survival of patients whose lymph nodes were not removed.

The study concludes that taking out the lymph nodes does not change the treatment plan, improve survival, or make the cancer less likely to recur. Often, the removal of lymph nodes causes dangerous, painful and potentially disabling complications such as infection and/or lymphedema.

Chemotherapy and radiation treatment are now standard therapy for women whose breast cancer has traveled to the lymph nodes. It is believe that this treatment is effective for wiping out any disease in these lymph nodes.

Importantly, the new results do not apply to all patients, only to those whose women who meet the specific criteria as laid out in the study with regard to lymph node descriptive details.

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For more information you can refer to:
The article by Denise Grady in the NY Times entitled “Lymph Node Study Shakes Breast Cancer Treatment” dated 2/9/11
The article in the Journal of the American Medical Association entitled "Auillary Dissection vs No Axillary Dissection in Women With Invasive Breast Cancer and Sentinel Node Metastasis" with multiple authors including Armando E. Giuliano, MD
A followup article to the 2/9 article in the NY Times, also by Denise Grady "Implications of Study on Breast Cancer"

31 Myths and Truths About Breast Cancer from the National Breast Cancer Coalition

The website http://www.knowbreastcancer.org/ has a list of 31 myths and truths about Breast Cancer with the ultimate hope of educating and empowering women to help detect, prevent and ultimately cure this disease.

The following is from the website:

"It’s time to move beyond awareness to action. It’s time to peel back the pink to see what’s really happening in breast cancer research, treatment, prevention and cure.

Our breast cancer myths and truths are backed by science, documented by credible and trusted sources and chosen because they are often misunderstood by or misrepresented to the general public.

We challenge you to become educated, speak up on behalf of women and men everywhere and take action to end this disease. We also call on you to help us spread this message to people you know: friends, family, coworkers, anyone who cares about ending breast cancer.

We will show you the way and give you the tools to get involved and make a difference.

Please join us."

To view the thought provoking and informative 31 Myths and Truths you can visit the National Breast Cancer Coalition website by clicking here. When you click in to view the 31 Myths and Truths, you can then click on each item to get further information about that specific myth or truth.

For example Myth #12 is: Everyone's breast cancer is the same.
If you click on the myth you will be taken to a more detailed page about that statement (click here to complete the example and view the detail about this myth) and you will learn about some unique characteristics of different types of breast cancer, and why they are not all the same.

There is plenty of additional information worth reading behind this seemingly simple 31 item list.

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San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2010 Information

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium attracts academic and private physicians and researchers, as well as other health care professionals focused on curing breast cancer, to discuss and learn about new and late-breaking research including experimental biology, etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of breast cancer and pre-malignant breast disease, as well as new findings from clinical trials. With the addition of the AACR as a symposium collaborator, this year’s program will attract more thought-leaders and high-quality proffered papers in basic and translational breast cancer research as well as increase the participation of young investigators by providing superior education and training opportunities for the next generation of breast cancer researchers.
You can view information about the symposium: http://www.sabcs.org/
Abstracts from presentations are available on the website above.
The publication Cure Today has a daily email which reviews highlights of the presentations at the symposium each day. There are also video interviews with some of the presenters. You can view these daily hightlights at: http://media.curetoday.com/sabcs2010/day1.html
Following are two briefs that appear in the Cure Today highlights:
Highlights from the 2009 Symposium: An Update
COMPILED FROM STAFF REPORTS
Physicians, researchers and advocates from all around the world came away from the 2009 SABCS with answers to a number of important questions: Is beginning on an aromatase inhibitor better than switching from tamoxifen? Is Herceptin more effective with or following chemotherapy in HER2-positive breast cancer? Does Avastin slow progression of metastatic breast cancer and by how much? And how well does Xgeva work against bone pain and fracture when compared with Zometa? Get an update on last year's breaking news.
Preventing Cancer in BRCA Mutation Carriers
BY MELISSA WEBER
Every woman with a mutated BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene should have their ovaries removed to lower their risk of ovarian cancer, said speaker Susan Domchek, MD, during an educational session Wednesday at the SABCS. Calling the preventive surgery "mandatory" in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers, Domchek said there's no evidence that current ovarian cancer screening is effective.
Click on the abstract name above to be taken to the full article referenced.
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