National Women’s Checkup Day is off to a great start.  Need to know where to go for a FREE Screening in your State this week CLICK HERE! Free Screening Location By State. Remember performing a monthly breast self exam with The Breast Chek Kit  can teach you how to perform your exam accurately every time!

Lymph Node Area

Lymph node areas:

A  Pectoralis Muscle

B  Axillary Lymph nodes: Level l

C  Axillary Lymph nodes: Level ll

D Axillary Lymph nodes: Level lll

E  Supraclavicular Lymph nodes

F Internal mammary lymph nodes

Starting on May 9, 2010, thousands of women across the country will embark on an eight-week physical activity challenge for better health. They will be part of the Woman Challenge, a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health (OWH). The Woman Challenge is a part of the OWH year-long Woman Activity Tracker program and its launch will kick off the 11th annual National Women’s Health Week (May 9-15, 2010). The Woman Challenge encourages women to get at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity each week.

What makes the Woman Challenge different from the rest of the year?

Each week that you meet or exceed your personal physical activity goals, you will receive a virtual Woman Challenge trophy. Earn 8 trophies in 8 weeks and receive a certificate of completion! From May 9 to August 21, 2010 you will receive weekly e-mail newsletters with tips on staying motivated. There will also be weekly quizzes to test your knowledge of fitness and nutrition and give you a boost towards your weekly goal. Register here for the Woman Activity Tracker. You can even form a team, with your co-workers, associates and other women and friends. Click here to register and Create Your Team!

HOW DO I SET MY GOALS?

Click here to print out your Activity Tracker Log like the ones listed below to begin to track your progress and to learn more!

The 8th annual National Women’s Checkup Day will be held on Monday, May 10, 2010, during National Women’s Health Week. The day is dedicated to encouraging women to visit health care professionals to receive or schedule a checkup and promoting regular checkups as vital to the early detection of  breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, other types of cancer, and many other conditions.

National Women’s Checkup Day is a nation wide effort coordinated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health to:

• Encourage women to visit their health care providers to receive or schedule a checkup.
• Promotion of regular checkups as vital to the early detection of illnesses and other conditions.

It is important for women to get regular checkups because:

• Screenings tests such as mammograms can find and detect breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat. Some women may need certain tests earlier or more often than others.
• Screenings and routine care can help women lower their risks of many health conditions early including breast cancer and heart disease.

How can you participate in this important event?

• Contact your physician or local health clinic to schedule screenings or checkups on Nationl WOmen’s Checkup Day.
• During your checkup discuss what screenings and tests are right for you, when you should have them and how often.
• Take the CheckUp Day Pledge and Pledge to schedule at least one preventive health screenings during the month of May.
• Click here  for the Interactive Screening Chart and Immunization Tool to determine what screenings and immunizations you need and at what age.
• Take the Pledge:

As a participant in National Women’s Checkup Day, I will:

• Contact my current doctor or nurse to schedule checkups and screening services;
• Use the interactive screening chart and immunization tool to learn what screenings and immunizations I need and at what age;
• Discuss with my health care professional during my checkup which of the tests are right for me, when I should have them, and how often;
• Schedule an appointment for at least one of the preventive health screenings during May 2010

Click here I’m ready to take the pledge! to select your state and then click  Submit My Pledge to commit to a Healthier You!  Print out your Certificate like the one below!

Signs and symptoms of male breast cancer by alvis walter

Male breast cancer is a cancer that occurs in the breast tissue of men. Breast cancer is often viewed as a woman’s disease. However, male breast cancer does occur to a significant extent. It is important to know the symptoms of male breast cancer. The disease is more pronounced in elderly men. However, it can occur at any age.

Men diagnosed with male breast cancer are at a good chance for cure if it is detected at an early stage. The symptoms of male breast cancer must not be ignored. A breast lump is the most common symptom. Most cases are diagnosed when the disease has reached an advanced state.

The following are some of the symptoms of male breast cancer:

A lump that is painless in nature

Thickening of the breast tissue

The skin covering the breast undergoes dimpling, puckering, redness, or scaling.

Nipple may turn inward. Redness and scaling is also possible.

Discharge from the nipple

Consult a doctor if signs and symptoms persist.

The causes of male breast cancer are not very clear. Breast cells that grow abnormally are an indicator for male breast cancer. These cells tend to divide more quickly than healthy cells. The cells that accumulate form a tumor that may spread to a nearby tissue, lymph nodes, or other body parts.

All individuals are born with a certain amount of breast tissue. The tissue is comprised of lobules, which are milk-producing glands. The lobules are ducts that transport milk to the nipples. Women develop much more breast tissue during puberty in comparison with men. Men can develop breast cancer due to a small presence of breast tissue.

The following are the types of breast cancer in men:

1. Cancer of the milk ducts: Ductal carcinoma is the most common form of male breast cancer. Almost all male breast cancers originate in the breast ducts.

2. Cancer of the milk-producing glands: Lobular carcinoma is not a common characteristic in men as they have few lobules in the breast tissue.

3. Cancer that spreads to the nipple: In some instances, breast cancer can originate in the ducts but spread to the nipples. This can cause scaly skin around the nipple. This is also known as Paget’s disease.

Genes that increase the risk of breast cancer

In some cases, men inherit genetic mutations from their parents, which increase the risk of breast cancer. A mutation in a specific gene known as BRCA2 can increase the risk of breast and prostrate cancer. Generally, this gene helps in prevention of cancer by the production of proteins that prevent cells from growing abnormally. However, once they undergo mutation their roles change.

Alvis Walter is a cancer consultant and a guide for Male Breast Cancer . To know more information about malignant mesothelioma, Gamma Knife, symptoms of male breast cancer, mesothelioma symptoms, Myelodysplastic Syndrome and Mantle Cell Lymphoma visit www.cancery.com

Article Source: Signs and symptoms of male breast cancer

THURSDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) — Black breast cancer patients have to wait longer for diagnosis and treatment than white patients, regardless of insurance status, a new U.S. study finds.

Researchers from the GW Cancer Institute looked at 581 breast cancer patients who were examined between 1997 and 2009 at seven hospitals and clinics in Washington, D.C. and found that:

• Insured black women and uninsured white women waited more than twice as long to be given a definitive breast cancer diagnosis than insured white women.
• Lack of health insurance slowed the speed of diagnosis among white patients, but having insurance did not lead to quicker diagnosis among insured black women.
• Overall, black patients waited twice as long as white patients to begin treatment after breast cancer diagnosis.

“We thought having health insurance would even the field and that insured black women would have had the same rate of evaluation as insured white women, but that was not the case in our study,” Heather Hoffman, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, said a news release from the school.

The findings highlight the need for improved outreach and other types of assistance for black patients.

“Black women should be the focus of breast cancer screening outreach and follow-up because they experience greater delays in diagnosis and in treatment than white women, regardless of insurance status,” Hoffman said. “We need to determine what other barriers contribute to diagnosis and treatment delays in insured black women and all uninsured women.”

“Breast Health GPS,” Pinpoints Medical Facilities and Provides Access to Latest Research

Belleville, New Jersey  – There are IPhone apps for organizing a household budget, planning a vacation, even getting you from point A to point B on New York’s subway, now there’s an app designed to save lives. It’s called Breast Health GPS and it uses the latest technology to help women locate the closest medical facilities providing Mammography and other Breast Health services.
The new IPhone app is free and was developed by the Breast Health & Healing Foundation, (BHH&F) www.breasthealthandhealing.com, a 501(3)(c) non-profit foundation founded by Dr. Kathleen T. Ruddy, a breast cancer surgeon.

Using the Breast Health GPS is easy. Once you’ve downloaded the app onto your IPhone, click on the main icon to reveal medical facilities close to your current location or enter an area code to find a facility anywhere in the U.S. In addition the app contains other important features. Among them is a direction link to the Breast Health and Healing Foundation’s website, an important resource providing critical information about women’s health, Dr Ruddy’s blog and up-to-date information about the progress of breast cancer research that is bringing us closer to finding a cure.

“Now is the time to marshal our resources, refine our approach, and direct our efforts towards finding the underlying cause of the disease,” said Dr. Ruddy, Founder of BHH&F. “The Breast Health GPS is a new weapon in that fight.”

Promoting research is at the core of what BHH&F is all about. The mission of the foundation is to discover the causes of breast cancer and to use that knowledge to prevent the disease. The foundation supports research pursuing the underlying causes of the disease so that some day breast cancer will be thing of the past.

Everyday breast cancer claims the lives of scores of women around the globe. It’s estimated that in 2010 more than 1.3 million women worldwide will contract the disease and tens of thousands will die from it. Despite tens of millions spent on research the epidemic continues to grow and grim statistics remain a reality

To download the Breast Health GPS app onto your IPhone you’ll need an ITunes account and be connected to the internet. From your IPhone go to the App Store, enter “Breast Health GPS” in the search bar. Once the App appears click the download button to begin the installation process. Once you download an application it’s immediately installed on your IPhone.

About the Breast Health & Healing Foundation
The Breast Health & Healing Foundation is a 501(3)(c)tax exempt non-profit foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to discover the specific causes of breast cancer and to use that knowledge to prevent the disease.

For the first few month this year we have been hearing that the changing guidelines for mammograms is causing a drop in women requesting or receiving mammograms. The following article is just one of many that have come out.  Are we loosing ground in our fight declaring that Early Detection Saves Lives? What do you think?

Changing Guidelines Cause Drop in Mammograms

Tuesday, 02 March 2010 08:43 |

The new survey shows, In some states, access to mammograms for women ages 40 to 49 has decreased since new breast cancer screening ( mammography ) guidelines by U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

The task force recommended that women at average risk for breast cancer should start having mammograms every two years at age 50 instead of annual screenings starting at age 40.

The online survey of more than 150 breast cancer health educators and providers in 48 states and the District of Columbia, conducted by the Avon Foundation for Women, found that respondents from a fourth of the areas surveyed reported changes in their states’ early detection programs for breast and cervical cancer.

The respondents said that the task force guidelines and other factors, including budget cuts, have resulted in fewer women having mammograms or the elimination of early breast cancer screening programs for women younger than 50 offered through state-administered breast cancer screening ( mammography ) programs.

California, Florida, Illinois, Michigan and New York are among the states that have made changes in their state’s breast cancer screening programs since the release of the guidelines.

“We are concerned that some women may simply accept the new recommended guidelines as standard — not taking into consideration their own health history and other breast cancer risk factors,” Marc Hurlbert, director of the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Crusade, said in a news release from the foundation.

The survey, conducted in early February, found that 24 percent of respondents said there’s been a decrease in the number of women younger than 50 being screened or seeking appointments for mammography screening at their facilities. Many women who were already reluctant to have a mammogram are using the new guidelines to put off breast cancer screening, according to some of the respondents.

Source: Avon Foundation for Women

© 2010 MLive.com. All rights reserved.

Public release date: 10-Mar-2010
Contact: Jeremy Moore
jeremy.moore@aacr.org
267-646-0557
American Association for Cancer Research

Breast cancer incidence among Iraqi women profiled

DEAD SEA, Jordan — Breast cancer continues to rise in Iraq, and scientists have established the Iraqi National Cancer Research Program to better understand the underlying molecular and environmental causes in an effort to curb the incidence of cancer.

“Breast cancer is the most common type of malignancy recorded in the cancer registries of almost all countries within the Eastern Mediterranean Region. In Iraq, the continuous rise in the incidence rate is associated with an obvious trend to affect premenopausal women,” said Nada A.S. Alwan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Breast Cancer Research Unit at Baghdad University Medical College and the executive director of the newly established Iraqi National Cancer Research Program.

Alwan presented early data at the second AACR Dead Sea International Conference on Advances in Cancer Research: From the Laboratory to the Clinic, held March 7-10, 2010.

The Iraqi National Cancer Research Program was organized by the Iraqi minister of higher education and scientific research in 2009 in collaboration with the common secretariat for the Council of Ministers and the Iraqi Parliament.

“This project includes within its objectives comprehensive epidemiologic studies on risk factors of the main encountered cancers in Iraq, with a focus on the characteristics and behaviors of cancer in patients inhabiting different geographic areas,” said Alwan.

The current study focused on 721 of 5,044 women who complained of breast lumps later diagnosed as cancer. Approximately one-third of the diagnosed patients were between 40 and 49 years old; 71.9 percent came from urban areas and 75 percent were married.

History of lactation was reported in 63.1 percent of the women and 29 percent had taken hormone therapy. A family history of breast cancer was reported in 16.2 percent of cases.

Although 90.6 percent of women detected a lump on self-examination, only 32 percent sought medical advice within the first month. Because of this, 47 percent of them presented with advanced stage breast cancer, either stage III or IV cancer. The main histological type was invasive ductal carcinoma of grade 2 in 56.6 percent and grade 3 in 39.9 percent. Estrogen-receptor positive tumors were noted in 65.1 percent of the cases and progesterone-receptor positive tumors were noted in 45.1 percent of the cases.

“We are currently planning to use this information to compare the demographic characteristics, clinicopathological presentations and management outcomes of breast cancer patients within selected countries in the Middle East,” said Alwan.



Bras and Cancer

Q. Is there any truth to the Internet rumor that the incidence of breast cancer is more than 100 times greater in women who always wear bras than in women who never wear bras?

A. “The short answer is no,” Dr. Ted Gansler, director of medical content for the American Cancer Society, replied in an e-mail message.

There is no scientifically credible evidence of this, he said, and the proposed mechanism — that bras prevent elimination of toxins by blocking lymph flow — is not in line with scientific concepts of how breast cancer develops.

Internet traffic on the issue is mostly inspired by one study with several scientific flaws, Dr. Gansler said. The study, never published in a peer-reviewed journal, did not adjust for known breast cancer risk factors that might be associated with bra-wearing behavior, like weight and age. Also, study participants knew the hypothesis before taking the survey.

“Because the idea of bras’ causing breast cancer is so scientifically implausible, it seems unlikely that researchers will ever spend their time and resources to test it in a real epidemiological study,” Dr. Gansler said.

He and colleagues compared National Cancer Institute data on breast cancer risk for women treated for melanoma who had several underarm lymph nodes removed and those who did not. The surgery, which is known to block lymph drainage from breast tissue, did not detectably increase breast cancer rates, the study found, meaning that it is extremely unlikely that wearing a bra, which affects lymph flow minimally if at all, would do so.

C. CLAIBORNE RAY