Penn Health for Women Newsletter reports on Sandy Cohen’s experience living with a BRCA mutation and the Basser Research Center for BRCA.Like too many women, Sandy Cohen grew up with breast cancer in her family. “My grandmother died of breast cancer in her thirties. Consequently, my mother was always worried she’d develop the disease herself,” says the Lafayette Hill resident. When Sandy’s mother did develop breast cancer at 50 and passed away four years later, Sandy became what she calls “obsessed” with breast cancer too. Read about Sandy's...
Thursday, 31 January 2013
Do you get enough fiber in your diet? Fiber has many nutritional benefits including lower blood cholesterol levels, better blood sugar control, and bowel regularity.But a recent study published in the journal, Cancer Prevention Research, found in mice models, a diet high in fiber can actually slow the progression of prostate cancer. The article, first published in December 2012, highlights the ability of a specific compound found in fiber called...
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
The Jewish Chronicle reports on the benefits of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic screenings for members of the Jewish community. Highlighting a patient story, the article discuses important factors such as a family history of breast and ovarian cancers.Read the story in full here, and find out more at The Basser Research Center for BRCA,official webpa...
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Ovarian cancer is cancer that forms in tissues of the ovary (one of a pair of female reproductive glands in which the ova, or eggs, are formed). Most ovarian cancers are either ovarian epithelial carcinomas (cancer that begins in the cells on the surface of the ovary) or malignant germ cell tumors (cancer that begins in egg cells).While there is no cure for ovarian cancer yet, Penn Medicine is at the forefront of discovering new treatments for ovarian...
Monday, 28 January 2013
Vaccines are now available that protect against four major types of HPV, including the two types that cause about 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and two types that cause about 90 percent of genital warts.The HPV vaccine is expected to be long-lasting, but because the vaccine does not protect against all HPV types that cause cervical cancer vaccinated women still need cervical cancer screening (Pap tests and HPV tests). The vaccine does prevent...
Friday, 25 January 2013
January is cervical cancer awareness month. In this blog post, we discuss "What is a colposcopy?" and why a colposcopy may be performed. What is a colposcopy?For women with a history of abnormal pap tests, a colposcopy may be performed to determine the cause of the abnormal test.A colposcopy is an in-office procedure in which your doctor uses a special magnifying device to look at your vulva, vagina, and cervix.During the colposcopy, your doctor...
Thursday, 24 January 2013
Tracy Lautenbach, MSW, LCSW, OSW, is the social work team leader for radiation oncology at Penn. In this article, she discusses what happens when cancer treatment ends. The time of diagnosis is often a time of shock or described as feeling you’re having an “out of body experience." During treatment you may feel you will never get through it and are often plugging along through the thick of it. Then comes the end of treatment where one can often feel...
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
January is cervical cancer awareness month. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in the United States, and also a risk factor for cervical cancer. In this blog post, we discuss a new type of cancer associated with HPV- head and neck cancer. There are over 100 types of HPV, and more than 40 strains that can infect the genital areas of men and women, as well as the mouth and throat. HPV is passed through...
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
January is cervical cancer awareness month.According to National Cancer Institute, there were more than 12,000 women who received a cervical cancer diagnosis last year. Cervical cancer develops in the cervix, the narrow outer end of the uterus that extends into the vagina. When diagnosed early, cervical cancer is generally curable and patients have an excellent chance of recovery. Penn Medicine physicians and scientists are working together to develop...
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Miss America contestant Allyn Rose plans to undergo a double mastectomy now that her participation in the 2013 Miss America competition is over. The 24-year-old says her mother battled breast cancer as a 27-year-old, and then again at 47. Her mother eventually died from breast cancer, as did her grandmother and aunt. Rose’s story highlights the challenge that women face in considering hereditary cancer risk. Increasingly, women at high risk for breast...
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Carly Roop RD, CSO, is a registered dietitian at the Joan Karnell Cancer Center (JKCC). She provides nutrition education and support to patients while addressing nutrition-related side effects from chemotherapy and radiation. Dietitians at JKCC provide educational nutrition programs that are open to patients as well as the community.My 2013 New Year’s Resolution: Make New FriendsAlthough weight loss and saving money are the among the highest ranking...
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Basser’s quarterly e-newsletter reports on Basser opening celebrations and research updates:Penn's Abramson Cancer Center was pleased to announce the establishment of the Basser Research Center for BRCA in May 2012 and the visionary support of Mindy and Jon Gray. This fall we celebrated the launch of the Basser Research Center for BRCA with more than 400 guests gathering in Philadelphia and New York to honor Penn alumni Mindy and Jon Gray for their generous and transformative gift to establish the Basser Research Center for BRCA.Read the whole...
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
2012 was an exciting year for the Abramson Cancer Center. We are featuring blogs featured on the Focus On Cancer blog that highlight cancer treatment breakthroughs, coping tips and ideas, education and inspiration. Today, we are highlighting Bill Barbour, a prostate cancer survivor that had proton therapy for prostate cancer at Penn Medicine.Always active, Bill didn’t let treatment for prostate cancer slow down his life, or his participation in his...
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
2012 was an exciting year for the Abramson Cancer Center. We are featuring blogs featured on the Focus On Cancer blog that highlight cancer treatment breakthroughs, coping tips and ideas, education and inspiration. Today, we are highlighting reiki for cancer patients. For patients undergoing treatment for cancer, the stress can be overwhelming. Finding tools that help you stay calm are invaluable. Reiki expert Kim Fleisher discusses how reiki can...
Monday, 7 January 2013
2012 was an exciting year for the Abramson Cancer Center. We are featuring blogs featured on the Focus On Cancer blog that highlight cancer treatment breakthroughs, coping tips and ideas, education and inspiration.Today, blogger and breast cancer survivor, Wendy Neilsen, offers tips to help a friend who’s been diagnosed with cancer, or who is undergoing treatment for cancer.How to Help a Friend With Cancer Author and breast cancer survivor, Wendy...
Friday, 4 January 2013
2012 was an exciting year for the Abramson Cancer Center. We are featuring blogs featured on the Focus On Cancer blog that highlight cancer treatment breakthroughs, coping tips and ideas, education and inspiration. Today, we are discussing new treatments for lung cancer including proton therapy for lung cancer. "At Penn, we care about the total patient experience,” says John Kucharczuk, MD. “We know that for most people, the diagnosis of lung cancer...
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2012- Focus on Brain Cancer Conference. In this blog, she discusses integrative medicine, and its role in those who have brain cancer.The final panel of the day began with a series of yoga stretches that demonstrated how breathing and movement can relax even a roomful of people who have been listening to a long day of complicated, difficult information. The...
Wednesday, 2 January 2013
2012 was an exciting year for the Abramson Cancer Center. We are featuring blogs featured on the Focus On Cancer blog that highlight cancer treatment breakthroughs, coping tips and ideas, education and inspiration. Today, we are highlighting the partnership between Penn and FORCE. FORCE stands for “Facing Our Risk Cancer Empowered” and was founded by women who have the BRCA gene mutation. This blog discusses what being a previvor is and how FORCE...
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