Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group 11/2/13

Join The Amyloidosis Clinic at Penn Medicine and the Amyloidosis Foundation next Saturday, November 2 from 10am-2pm for the Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group.

The Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group Comes to Penn Medicine

In partnership with the Amyloidosis Foundation, Penn Medicine's Amyloidosis Clinic will be hosting this year's Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group event. The event will featue a questions and answers segment with guest speaker Nishant Tageja, MD, Metabolism Branch of the National Cancer Institute/ National Institute of Health as well as the Penn Medicine doctors and staff of the Abramson Cancer Center Amyloidosis Clinic.

Agenda and RSVP online at PennCancer.org

Topics to be discussed throughout the event include:

• Announcements of new clinical trials and treatments with Brendan Weiss, MD, Penn Medicine Amyloidosis Clinic director and Nishant Tageja, MD
• How LLS can help AL amyloidosis patients with Nancy Chumm, Patient Services Coordinator for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• An informal discussion over lunch with speakers and participants
• Nutrition and Physical Therapy for amyloidosis patients
• Raising awareness with Lance Miller of the Chip Miller Foundation

Join us Saturday November 2nd, 2013 
from 10:00am - 2:00pm
Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine
3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Room SCTR 10-14-146AB
PARKING IN PENN TOWER IS FREE / WILL BE VALIDATED
Follow Signage - Complimentary Food Served -
RSVP for the Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group 

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Focus On Brain Cancer Provides Knowledege and Support to the Brain Cancer Community

From left to right: Mike Saperstein, Rachel Kachnycz, Marnie Passaretti, Mark Kutner, and Dr. Steven Brem (moderator)

The brain drives everything we do and powers our emotional connection to the world, making a brain tumor diagnosis particularly harrowing with the potential to be incredibly isolating.

The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania held its 3rd annual Focus on Brain Cancer Conference – and for many attendees, the need to be surrounded by the brain cancer community was the event’s greatest draw.

“My experiences with my support group, many of whom are here today, taught me to gather strength and hope from those around me,” said Lindsay Leiper, III, who is a six year survivor of a grade 4 glioblastoma. “I came today, on my birthday, to celebrate another year of life with my fellow survivors – and the men and women who saved me.”

Linsday Leiper listens on as fellow brain tumor survivors tell their stories

The Abramson Cancer Center's Focus On Cancer conference series is made possible through philanthropic and grant support as well as partnerships with advocacy and outreach organizations. The conferences are free and open to cancer patients and survivors as well as their family members and health care providers. The day provides patients with important and timely information from Penn Medicine’s expert faculty so they can to better advocate for their health.

The topics presented by members of our esteemed faculty included Penn’s new Center for Personalized Diagnostics, advancements in surgery of skull base tumors, promising clinical trials, and Penn’s extensive radiation therapies available through the department of radiation oncology and Roberts Proton Therapy Center. Penn Medicine’s promising advances in brain mapping and imaging was also a focus.

“Our 3D approach to tumor imaging informs neurosurgeons in ways never before possible, making the invisible, visible and giving them the power to map the safest surgery plan and increase positive surgical outcomes,” said Steven Brem, MD, director of neurosurgical oncology at Penn Medicine.

From left to right:  Rachel Kachnycz, Bill Staley, and Pam Staley

Bill Staley is a patient who knows the Roberts Proton Therapy cyclotron intimately. He didn’t just receive treatment from it, his company helped install it. A self-proclaimed "bad patient," Bill found it hard at first to accept help while sick. “However,” he said, “the treatment I received— from my doctors to the social workers to my fellow patients in my support group— taught me that I never knew how good care could be until I came to Penn Medicine.”

A highlight of the afternoon was the “Two for the Road—the Doctor Patient Journey” panel where patients shared important insights about what they have learned from their cancer journey.

It was during this panel that some of the most poignant and sage advice was delivered – by 24 year-old Rachel Kachnycz. “I am moving on as a survivor and giving myself the time and space to re-enter the world,” she said. “I am learning to be kind to my body and patient with myself. Cancer does not have to be your life— it can be a moment that you teach yourself to move on.”

She went on to say, “I know I speak for all of us here today when I say we plan to be the minority. We plan to survive.”

These conferences are made possible through philanthropic support. Help patients and families empower themselves with knowledge and support to battle cancer by making a gift today.

Support the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine here. 

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Amyloidosis Treatment at Penn

Bringing together expert physicians from multiple specialties, the Amyloidosis Clinic at Penn Medicine is leading the way in the evaluation and management of patients with systemic amyloidosis. This Focus On Cancer post, with thanks to clinic director Brendan M. Weiss, MD, highlights the causes, diagnosis and treatment of amyloidosis.

What is Amyloidosis?

Amyloidosis is a rare and potentially life threatening disease that occurs when toxic proteins build up in your organs. There are different types of amyloidosis that can affect different organs, most commonly the heart, kidneys, liver, spleen, nervous system and gastrointestinal tract.

Causes of Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis is caused by one of over 20 toxic proteins that are produced by different sources in the body. Careful diagnosis to determine the correct protein source is necessary to decide on the correct treatment. The most common source of the toxic proteins are bone marrow plasma cells, a type of immune cell.

Amyloidosis Diagnosis, Treatment and Clinical Trials

As amyloidosis is both rare and complex, seeking a proper diagnosis is important, and may require seeing multiple specialists. After receiving a diagnosis, treatment options for Amyloidosis need to be personalized.

In addition, new approaches and new treatments are always emerging and our team at Penn Medicine has access to these options and the experiences in helping patients choose the most appropriate options.

The Amyloidosis Clinic at Penn Medicine

Growing awareness and the latest research have led to new treatment approaches which require a multidisciplinary team. The Amyloidosis Clinic at Penn Medicine brings together expert physicians from multiple specialties.

Amyloidosis treatment Penn Medicine draws on the personnel and resources of all relevant specialties including:

• Cardiology: Heart failure management, echocardiography, endomyocardial biopsy, arrhythmia management, cardiac transplantation
• Nephrology: Nephrotic syndrome management, renal biopsy, renal transplantation
• Hematology-Oncology: Chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation
• Neurology: Peripheral neuropathy evaluation and management

Additional specialists in pulmonology, rheumatology and organ transplantation are also available for
consultation. Whenever possible, initial meetings with the appropriate specialists are performed on the same day in Philadelphia.

For consultations, scheduling and more information on Amyloidosis, please contact the clinic by email, or call 800-789-PENN (7366).

The Amyloidosis Clinic at Penn Medicine is located in Philadelphia, at the Ruth and Raymond Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine and the Heart and Vascular Pavilion at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. Ongoing consultations and care can be arranged at Penn Medicine at Cherry Hill and Valley Forge as well.

Interested in joining a support group?

Join Penn Medicine and the Amyloidosis Foundation
Saturday, November 2 from 10am-2pm for the
Biannual Amyloidosis Support Group

Find out more and RSVP today.

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Can Men Get Breast Cancer?

We tend to think of breast cancer as only a woman’s disease. While it is true breast cancer affects mostly women, male breast cancer makes up less than one percent of all breast cancer cases.

The following types of breast cancer are found in men:

• Invasive ductal carcinoma. Cancer that has spread beyond the cells lining the ducts in the breast. Most men with breast cancer have this type of cancer.
• Ductal carcinoma in situ. Abnormal cells that are found in the lining of a duct.
• Inflammatory breast cancer. A type of cancer in which the breast looks red and swollen and feels warm.
• Paget disease of the nipple. A tumor that has grown from ducts beneath the nipple onto the surface of the nipple.

Treatment for male breast cancer is much like treatment for breast cancer in women. Surgery for breast cancer may or may not be followed by chemotherapy, hormone therapy and/or radiation therapy for male breast cancer.

Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center is leading the way in breakthrough cancer treatment. If you or someone you know has been touched by cancer, the power to find the Cure is Within.
Hear our stories and find out more today.

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What Are Some Risk Factors for Breast Cancer?

Risk factors affect the chance of getting breast cancer, Having a risk factor, or even several, does not mean that someone will get breast cancer. Most women who have one or more breast cancer risk factors never develop the disease, while many women with breast cancer have no apparent risk factors (other than being a woman and growing older).

There are different kinds of risk factors. Some factors, like age or race, can't be changed. Risk factors for breast cancer that cannot change include:

• Gender. Being a woman is the leading risk factor for developing breast cancer. The chance of a woman developing invasive breast cancer sometime during her life is just under one in eight.
• Aging. Risk of developing breast cancer increases as women age.
• Menstrual periods. Women who have had more menstrual cycles because they started menstruating at an early age (before age 12) and/or went through menopause at a later age (after age 55) have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.
• Genetics. Between five percent and 10 percent of breast cancer cases are thought to be hereditary.
• Family history. Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have the disease.
• Personal history. Women with cancer in one breast have a three- to four-fold increased risk of developing cancer in the other breast or in another part of the same breast.
• Race and ethnicity. Caucasian women are slightly more likely than African American women to develop breast cancer, but African American women are more likely to die of breast cancer. Asian, Hispanic, and Native American women have a lower risk of developing and dying from breast cancer.
• Dense breast tissue. Women with dense breasts have more glandular tissue and less fatty tissue and are at higher risk of breast cancer. Dense tissue and tumors have similar density, so tumors can be harder to detect in women with denser breasts.
• Benign breast conditions. Women diagnosed with certain benign breast conditions may have an increased risk of breast cancer. Benign conditions include: Non-proliferative (non-spreading) lesions; Proliferative (spreading) lesions without atypia; Proliferative (spreading) lesions with atypia.
• Lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS). Women with LCIS have a seven- to 11-fold increased risk of developing cancer in either breast.
• Previous chest radiation. Women who had radiation therapy to the chest area as treatment for another cancer (such as Hodgkin disease or non-Hodgkin lymphoma), especially before the age of 30, are at significantly increased risk for breast cancer.
• Diethylstilbestrol (DES) exposure. From the 1940s through the 1960s, some pregnant women were given DES because it was thought to lower their chances of miscarriage. These women have a slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer. Women whose mothers took DES during pregnancy may also have a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.

Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center is leading the way in breakthrough cancer treatment. If you or someone you know has been touched by cancer, the power to find the Cure is Within.

Hear our stories and find out more today.

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Breast Cancer Survivor Finds the Cure is Within at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center

Carole Gross is a fighter.

Eight years ago, she battled thyroid cancer.

She won.

But this year, a new fight was chosen for her – this time, the battle would be in her breast.

Within two weeks of her diagnosis of breast cancer following a routine mammogram, Carole had a lumpectomy at Doylestown Hospital, a member of the Penn Cancer Network.

“I’m a ‘get it done’ kind of person,” says Carole. “I just wanted it out so we could move to the next step.”

A mother of two, Carole was also working as a physical therapist with home health care division of Doylestown Hospital. Because of her busy schedule, she knew having follow-up treatment that included radiation therapy close to her home in Doylestown was essential.

She chose Penn Radiation Oncology Doylestown. It was there she met William Rate, MD, PhD, radiation oncologist at Penn Medicine.

“Dr. Rate was amazing,” she says. “He asked me about myself – he put me as a person before my cancer diagnosis. He just made me feel I was important – that I was comfortable with the whole process. And, he presented information to me in a very understanding and reassuring way.”

Dr. Rate explained how her radiation treatment would proceed, and ensured her he would be with her every step of the way.

He was.

When a scan showed something on Carole’s hip, Dr. Rate personally consulted with his colleagues and asked Carole if he could make appointments for her so she could focus on her treatments.

“Within a half hour of Dr. Rate’s phone call, all of my imaging studies and reports were sent to another specialist I could see for my hip,” says Carole. “Everything was seamless, but Dr. Rate made me so comfortable with the process.”

Carole’s treatments spanned her children’s summer break, and she was able to bring her kids with her to her treatments. She jokes that her kids felt comfortable, because they knew her mom was being treated so well.

“What could have been a very negative situation turned out to be positive,” says Carole. “As soon as we walked through the door, we were greeted like we were friends, or part of the family. They valued me as a person; they didn’t just see me as a diagnosis.”

Following her radiation treatment, Carole was diagnosed with chronic leukemia. Dr. Rate was still there for her.

“Dr. Rate continues to look at the ‘whole picture’ and the ways in which each treatment or piece of care I receive fit into my overall care plan,” says Carole. “Even though he was primarily treating my breast cancer, I found it reassuring he was a part of my entire course of care.”

Finally Carole adds: “His staff is amazing also and very personable and professional.

“Penn Radiation Oncology allowed me to have treatment at the Abramson Cancer Center within my own community,” says Carole. “It was a wonderful opportunity.”

“I wouldn’t have wanted my cancer treatment anywhere else.”

Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center is leading the way in breakthrough cancer treatment. If you or someone you know has been touched by cancer, the power to find the Cure is Within.
Hear our stories and find out more today.

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Genetic Markers for Breast Cancer Can Be Passed Down On Father's Side

NBC News quotes the Basser Research Center for BRCA Director Dr. Susan Domchek in this piece on paternal transmission of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer risk. Breast Cancer Awareness month is an excellent time to gather your family history of cancer—on both mom and dad’s side-- and gain genetic counseling to determine if you may benefit from genetic testing and are at increased risk.

Read Sarah Lien’s story and watch the videos from NBC News here.

The Basser Research Center for BRCA at Penn Focuses on BRCA1 and BRCA2

The Basser Research Center for BRCA supports research on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, harmful forms of which are linked to greatly increased risks of developing breast and ovarian cancer. The Center is named in honor of Mindy Gray’s sister, Faith Basser, who died of ovarian cancer at age 44.

The Basser Research Center for BRCA was established with a $25 million gift to the University of Pennsylvania from alumni Mindy and Jon Gray.

Emphasizing outreach, prevention, early detection, treatment and survivorship, the Basser Research Center for BRCA will contribute to all stages of research and clinical care relevant to BRCA-related cancers.

The breast cancer program at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center helps you understand your options. Learn the facts and request a consultation today.

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