BRCA NEWSWORTHY

Melbourne Trial of Breast Regrowth Surgery Neopec

11/11/09 reported by: Grant McArthurfrom perthnow

There’s a STEM CELL BREAKTHRU STUDY going on in Australia to help breast

Cancer patients, BRCA patients GROW BACK THEIR OWN BREAST TISSUE.

If this study is successful it could replace implants & breast reconstructions going on today.

The procedure uses the stem cells of our own fat to regenerate the growth of new breast tissue.

Follow this link for the entire story & video: http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,26338552-5017320,00.html

BRCA NEWSWORTHY

Breast cancer surgery Dr. Richard Berg is a General Surgeon at Clarian Arnett Health.

By Dr. Bob Martin

Short advertisement in article form…follow this link… http://www.jconline.com/article/20081021/LIFE0302/310210001/-1/FRONTPAGEMAJOR

A short easy article defining: lumpectomy, mastectomy & lymph node testing. My favorite sentence was “an important factor in emotionally surviving breast cancer is to have an active role in treatment decisions.”

BRCA NEWSWORTHY

Is Breast Cancer in Your Genes?

You can follow the link to get the entire story!

http://www.wsls.com/sls/lifestyles/health_med_fit/article/is_breast_cancer_in_your_genes/19303/

The article is written by Mary Shedden from Media General News Service on October 14, 2008.

When someone you know & love gets diagnosed with breast cancer it often is a reminder for others to go and get checked! Besides a mammogram, sonogram & MRI, there is now genetic testing.

The test is very expensive & Myriad Genetics Inc. is the lab with the ability to identify the BRCA gene. It is a simple blood test. (You should also check with your insurance company as to their coverage policy.) You also need genetic counseling before & after getting tested for the BRCA gene mutation. Having a positive gene mutation is not the same as getting cancer, but you still need to make decisions. This is best made with a professional. They are trained to determine your chances & percentages of getting cancer after assessing your family history.

Should you get tested? Yes…If you have 2 or more family members with a history of breast & or ovarian cancer especially if the family member was diagnosed before the age of 50. Another criteria is if you are of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. One in forty Ashkenazi Jews are genetically predisposed to breast/ovarian cancer. Everyone has BRCA genes but only a small amount of people wind up with mutated ones- the highest incidence being in Ashkenazi Jews.

Whether or not hereditary breast /ovarian cancer is in your family….GO GET CHECKED REGULARLY!

BRCA NEWSWORTHY

Christina Applegate, star of one of my favorite shows “Samantha Who” is recovering from her recent double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer & finding out she is BRCA positive. We wish her a speedy recovery, and good health in the future.

July 1, 2008

There are different mastectomy procedures, but the one that is most recommended these days is the skin sparing mastectomy. This procedure involves removing all of the breast tissue, including the nipple and areola, but not the breast skin. Having a mastectomy, rather than being vigilant with testing gives you more of a guarantee that your nodes will not be affected in the future.

Women choosing reconstruction immediately after the mastectomy do well with this choice.