Cancer Research & Treatment FREE Education Program
Cancer patients and survivors, their families, cancer support groups and the public are invited to attend UPDATE 2010: Breast, Lung and Colorectal Cancer Research and Treatment featuring presentations, in non-technical language, by a panel of distinguished cancer experts from Holy Cross Hospital and the Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center. The event will begin with a complimentary light continental breakfast followed by presentations by the speakers, and a question-answer session with the panelists.
Breast Cancer –Screening and Diagnosis: What Is New and What Is Right?
Joseph Casey, M.D., Breast Surgical Oncologist
New Developments in Breast Cancer Surgery and Breast Reconstruction
Marnie Kaplan, M.D., Holy Cross Hospital, Breast Surgical Oncologist
What Role Does Chemotherapy Play in Breast Cancer Treatment?
Ena Segota, M.D., Holy Cross Hospital, Medical Oncologist/Hematologist
Colorectal Cancer Screening – How Important Is It?
Donald Brust, M.D., Holy Cross Hospital, Gastroenterologist
Surgical Intervention For Colon Cancer: Open Surgery Vs Laparoscopic Surgery
Elie Schochet, M.D., Holy Cross Hospital, Colorectal Surgeon
New Radiation Oncology Advances For Treating Cancer
Lav Goyal, M.D., Holy Cross Hospital, Radiation Oncologist
Lung Cancer – What is State of the Art Care?
Martin Gutierrez, M.D., Holy Cross Hospital, Medical Oncologist/Hematologist
Developing New Cancer Drugs and Clinical Trials for Lung Cancer
Martin Gutierrez, M.D., Holy Cross Hospital, Medical Oncologist/Hematologist
Carol Brudenell, RN, AOCN, Holy Cross Hospital, Research Manager
Q&A Panel
Saturday, March 27, 2010 • 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
Holy Cross Hospital
4725 North Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33308
Sister Innocent Conference Center
This program is jointly sponsored by Holy Cross Hospital’s Michael and Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Syncure Cancer Research Foundation as a public service for cancer patients and their families.
Admission to the program is FREE with advanced registration. Please register early; seating is limited!
To register or for additional information, please contact Holy Cross Hospital:
Toll-Free: 800-903-9702 / Web Address: www.holy-cross.com
Changes
“Change” can be a challenging word for any of us to hear. Regardless of the portion of our lives affected, change can sometimes redirect our paths as we reconsider the meaning and purpose of the journey. It happens to all of us, including the chaplains in the Spiritual Care Department of Holy Cross Hospital! We recently re-aligned our work assignments, one goal being seamless spiritual care for Cancer Center patients and families. I continue to provide spiritual support at the Cancer Center, and have now added the matching oncology and critical care inpatient areas to my portfolio. Whether patients’ initial contacts with their chaplain are at the Cancer Center or inpatient units, the goal of the Spiritual Care Department is to provide continuity of care throughout their course of treatment, including the post-treatment Cancer Survivorship program now being developed at the Cancer Center.
From diagnosis to survivorship, religious and spiritual needs can evolve in many ways that are life-giving and contribute to the well-being of patients, families and friends, and all who work with them. My goal is to be available to accompany you every step of the journey.
Breast Screening Recommendations
This past November I was watching the morning news when I heard about new breast screening recommendations by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. I was horrified! The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations on screening mammography and self breast exams are not supported by evidence-based studies. The American Society of Breast Disease (a well respected group of breast specialists to which I belong) responded to the government’s new guidelines with the following:
The new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations on screening mammography, clinical breast exam, and self-examination conflict with the facts. There has been no new evidence to justify this questionable change in breast cancer screening guidelines.
The American Society of Breast Disease continues to recommend annual mammography for all women beginning at age 40. This position is based on long-standing, evidence-based studies which document that mammography saves lives through early detection.
The fact that only 50% of American women over age 40 have had a mammogram in the past year indicates that women need to be further encouraged rather than discouraged from obtaining this simple, non-invasive test. At a time of limited healthcare resources, prevention and early detection continue to be the most cost-effective means to control the economic and human burden of breast cancer. Although it is not perfect, mammography is the best screening tool we have, in terms of overall accuracy, cost, and practicality.
Forty years of research have yielded progressively convincing evidence of the benefits of screening mammography. Long-term follow-up of randomized controlled population-based screening trials – the gold standard in medical research – prove that mammography can reduce breast cancer mortality as much as 32% among women ages 40 to 70 years at entry into screening. Some recent studies from Sweden have found that mammography can lower breast cancer deaths by nearly 50%.
As dedicated breast specialists, we agree with the multiple studies that document a reduction in breast cancer deaths due to early detection of breast cancer through regular screening. In contrast to the USPSTF recommendation, the American Society of Breast Disease continues to encourage monthly breast self-examination as an integral part of every woman’s health routine, along with an annual clinical breast examination by a trained healthcare professional.
For most women, predicting breast cancer risk on the basis of possible risk factors can be unreliable. Fully 70% of all women diagnosed with breast cancer had no known risk before the time of diagnosis.
The current flurry of media-hyped recommendations will only serve to confuse the public. To advise women age 40 and older to skip annual screening because they have no family history of the disease is imprudent, irresponsible, and places their lives at unnecessary jeopardy.
Executive Committee: Gail Lebovic, MD is a Dallas-based oncoplastic breast surgeon and Society president; Stephen A Feig, MD is a breast imager at University of California, Irvince, and president-elect; Julio A Ibarra, MD is a pathologist at MemorialCare Hospital, Fountain Valley, California, and Society past president; Robert W. Carlson, MD is a medical oncologist at Stanford University and Society secretary/treasurer.
I hope this statement from a respected group of breast specialists helps to clear up any confusion about screening breast imaging and examinations.
If you’re 40 – start getting your mammograms!!
Pearls Of Wisdom
In my first blog in 2010, I am once again turning my attention to the very important topic of survivorship. Although I did not get any survivorship stories from my bloggers out there in “blog land,” I went on my own search for them because I know there is great strength in the telling of one’s story and the effect it has on another survivor could be profound and enlightening. Survivorship remains an important concept in cancer care because after all it is the aim of early diagnosis and treatment – improved prognosis for survival. I wanted to know 1) the survivor’s diagnosis and date of diagnosis; 2) what important lesson was learned along the journey; and 3) what pearls of wisdom would you share with patients, who are newly-diagnosed with cancer. Here are a couple of stories from survivors I interviewed:
Maria said, “I was diagnosed in 1998 with Stage One Breast cancer and chose to have mastectomy to be sure of clear margins. Along the way, I learnt that when you are hit with challenges in your health, you can find strength in everyone around you. My pearls of wisdom are that one must sort through one’s life and the things that are important and to overcome those hurdles of fear, denial, anger, depression, acceptance in order to move forward. Make everyday of your life count because life is too short not to enjoy it.”
Vickey indicated she was diagnosed with two different cancers, in 1981 with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva and in 1992 with breast cancer. She went on to say that along the way she learnt the value of having close family and friends to accompany her to the doctors and take notes. “I gathered the information and opinions from professionals, not rumors, and then decided for myself about what was best for me. My pearls of wisdom are to take time to make your own decisions about your treatment and survivorship – the cancer did not occur overnight.”
I thank the survivors for their stories because often we hear the word “cancer” and we don’t always equate it with survivorship. So as we begin the 2010, I want to challenge you to think about life and how we can make the most of our lives as Maria said. I hope you all had a wonderful Hanukkah or Christmas and for those of you still celebrating Kwanzaa, have a wonderful Kwanzaa celebration. I wish you all a Happy New Year. Be safe and come back with more stories to celebrate life.
About the Center
The Michael & Dianne Bienes Comprehensive Cancer Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is the Cancer Care Leader in Broward County. Dedicated to providing patients with precise diagnosis, the latest and most advanced treatment and aftercare options, we offer a multidisciplinary approach to care, a compassionate and spiritual healing environment, and an affiliation with the National Cancer Institute.
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