**First things first**
1 - Tonight at 7 PM, our own Anne Fagan will be performing in "I Am Not My Breasts", an original play by Janet Lynn O'Hare. Tickets are $10 and are available at the doors. Location - Avon Middle High School, 285 West Main Street in Avon.
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!
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The event included pictures with wild props, and I'm sorry to say I wasn't there in time for this part. Otherwise, you'd all see some sort of wacky picture of my mother and me! They also lined up 3 speakers and a panel of breast cancer survivors.
The first speaker was Dr. Rohini Sakhuja, who is the Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. She discussed genetic testing and counseling, and she focused quite a bit on the science behind genes, mutation, and passing diseases on through generations. In general, the talk focused on the fact that genes can be dominant and recessive, and carriers don't always pass diseases onto their offspring. She also discussed the BRCA Genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) which are linked to breast and ovarian cancer. While we can test for these genes now, we cannot truly say that a positive test means you will develop cancer or that a negative test means you're in the clear.
The second speaker was Dr. Cindy Dodard, Ob/GYN, who spoke about breast exams and screening. Dr. Dodard is a member of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a group that tends to lean more toward the proactive side of screening. She recommends mammography to start at age 40, and she promotes Breast Self Awareness (BSA). BSA is a concept where you are aware of your normal baseline for your breasts, which allows you to notice any abnormalities without being beholden to the strict exam schedule of self-examination. She also recommends early screening for anyone with a family history, specifically starting 10 years before the earliest diagnosis (i.e 29 for someone with a family member diagnosed at 39).
She cited the recent change in recommendations from the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force as well, though she does follow the recommendations of ACOG. USPSTF change the recommended mammography screening to every 2 years for ages 50-74, and they now recommend against breast self-examination (BSE). The reasoning behind this is that they felt too many false positives were coming up in the 40-49 age group for mammographies, and that BSE and early mammography were doing more harm than good. Screening is important, as there is plenty of evidence that it prevents death by abnormality, but it's always important to arm yourself with information.
The third speaker was Jan Amorello, RN, BSN, OCN, who is the Oncology Nurse Navigator. She spoke about emotions and support and the impact of genetic testing. It's very important to realize there is a real psychological impact on people who have the BRCA testing and other genetic testing done. There can be anxiety due to the results, strain because other family members don't want to know, and guilt for knowing you are carrying a cancer gene that could be passed down to your children. It's also important to know that a positive or negative result is not the be all and end all for cancer for you. You may test positive and never be diagnosed, or you may test negative and eventually be diagnosed. It's very important to consider this but also to surround yourself with support, either through your family or through the support system at your hospital.
The last group was a breast cancer survivor panel. This was probably one of the most emotional parts for me, and each of the survivors has a different story. They were also all (or almost all) involved in the Reach to Recovery Task Force, and I will be interving one of the survivors next week regarding her experience and what Reach to Recovery is all about.
This event was sent to me by our former staff partner, Melissa Padeni. She's now working on Health Initiatives with the American Cancer Society, and they put on events like this all the time. If you aren't signed up for the email blasts, let me know, and I'll figure out what you need to do.
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