Courtesy of ABC News
Question: In addition to mammograms, are there other types of scans or tests that can be done to detect breast cancer?
Answer: Other tests, such as an ultrasound, can be useful, not in screening, but to determine whether or not a mass in the breast is a cyst or a solid. MRIs of the breast are being used more commonly, especially in women who are at a high risk for breast cancer, such as those who have one of the genetic predispositions or women who have had previous breast cancers in whom we are questioning the results of a mammogram; MRIs may be helpful in this setting. But at this particular point, mammograms are still the best screening test for breast cancer.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Proof that Breast Cancer can affect anyone.
Ten-year-old California girl battles breast cancer
Updated Tue. May. 19 2009 1:50 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A 10-year-old California girl is battling a disease many girls her age have not even heard of: breast cancer.
Fifth-grader Hannah Powell-Auslam of La Mirada, Calif., was diagnosed just over a month ago with Stage IIA invasive ductal carcinoma, her parents write on the blog. The diagnosis was later changed to invasive secretory carcinoma, a related cancer that is more slow-growing.
Both forms of cancer are extremely rare in girls of Hannah's age; cases have only been documented in a few hundred girls in this age group. The American Pediatric Surgical Association reports that less than one-tenth of one per cent of all breast cancer occurs in children or adolescents.
Hannah was diagnosed after complaining to her mother of an itch on the side of her chest. When her mother checked the area, she found a lump and made an appointment with the girl's doctor.
Doctors told Hannah's mother that there was little chance that the lump would be cancerous but ordered an ultrasound anyway. The doctors were wrong. The ultrasound revealed a tumour in the girl's breast that spanned nearly two inches.
"I didn't really know what cancer is. I was just crying and I couldn't stop," Hannah told local newspaper, the Whittier Daily News.
Hannah has now had a partial mastectomy to remove the tumor.
Because juvenile secretory carcinoma is rare, there is little good data on it. However, it is thought to be slow-growing and less aggressive than adult cancers, and patients usually have an excellent prognosis.
Hannah's doctors say it appears her cancer has spread into her lymph nodes. She is scheduled to have a second surgery and may undergo chemotherapy.
Hannah's family has started a blog, called OurLittleSweetPea.com, which has been overwhelmed with traffic since the girl's story began making headlines this week.
Updated Tue. May. 19 2009 1:50 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
A 10-year-old California girl is battling a disease many girls her age have not even heard of: breast cancer.
Fifth-grader Hannah Powell-Auslam of La Mirada, Calif., was diagnosed just over a month ago with Stage IIA invasive ductal carcinoma, her parents write on the blog. The diagnosis was later changed to invasive secretory carcinoma, a related cancer that is more slow-growing.
Both forms of cancer are extremely rare in girls of Hannah's age; cases have only been documented in a few hundred girls in this age group. The American Pediatric Surgical Association reports that less than one-tenth of one per cent of all breast cancer occurs in children or adolescents.
Hannah was diagnosed after complaining to her mother of an itch on the side of her chest. When her mother checked the area, she found a lump and made an appointment with the girl's doctor.
Doctors told Hannah's mother that there was little chance that the lump would be cancerous but ordered an ultrasound anyway. The doctors were wrong. The ultrasound revealed a tumour in the girl's breast that spanned nearly two inches.
"I didn't really know what cancer is. I was just crying and I couldn't stop," Hannah told local newspaper, the Whittier Daily News.
Hannah has now had a partial mastectomy to remove the tumor.
Because juvenile secretory carcinoma is rare, there is little good data on it. However, it is thought to be slow-growing and less aggressive than adult cancers, and patients usually have an excellent prognosis.
Hannah's doctors say it appears her cancer has spread into her lymph nodes. She is scheduled to have a second surgery and may undergo chemotherapy.
Hannah's family has started a blog, called OurLittleSweetPea.com, which has been overwhelmed with traffic since the girl's story began making headlines this week.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure
The 13th annual Komen Salt Lake City Race for the Cure will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at The Gateway Mall at South Temple & 400 West in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The 5K (3.1 miles) run and walk and the 1 mile fun run/walk will start at 8:30am at a new start line. Both events will start on 300 W & North Temple heading north, and coming back to end near the Gateway Legacy Fountain.
This is a great event to help support The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness Fund. Komen Affiliates award grants to local hospitals and community organizations that provide breast health education and breast cancer screening and treatment programs for medically underserved women. Remaining net income supports the Komen Award and Research Grant Program, which funds groundbreaking breast cancer research, meritorious awards and educational and scientific programs around the world.
There are many breast cancer survivors, friends and family members that turn out to this event to celebrate their lives and to contribute to finding a cure for this disease.
Please help in the fight against breast cancer on Saturday, May 9th!
You can still register the day of the event!
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