Sierra Nevada Cancer Center Talks Breast Cancer: Care, Prevention, Risk Factors

Thanks to remarkable improvements in cancer detection, care and research, millions of women are surviving breast cancer today.

Our last post talked about treatment options and detection methods. This time, we’re talking about the role of personal care when diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as preventive measures and risk factors.

Personal Care

The idea of undergoing any cancer treatment can be difficult, which is why Dr. Jorge Perez and his team strive to offer immediate Advanced Cancer Care to patients and their families.

“I work personally with patients and their families and collaborate closely on disease management,” said Dr. Perez. “ I want all of my patients to beat their cancer, and I will do everything that I can to help them restore their health.”

The team prides itself on its personal approach, and SNCC patients become part of our extended family of cancer warriors and survivors.

“We are here to help,” said Dr. Perez. “While you are in our care, we want you to feel like you have a friend — and a resource that can help connect you with information, support, ideas or just an ear to listen.”

And the best feedback we can hear is that our patients felt supported throughout the process.

"I feel very blessed that the Sierra Nevada Cancer Center has been helping me fight my spreading breast cancer,” said SNCC patient and South Lake Tahoe resident Kathy B. “Dr. Perez and his staff are very supportive, inspirational, professional and secure. An illness like mine makes life difficult every day, but being able to communicate and stay focused on my medications helps me stay strong and encouraged to continue with all my treatments. Thank you with all my heart and soul."

Preventive Measures

Treatment and early detection is what has given the millions of breast cancer survivors their best chance at beating cancer.

 To reduce your risk of breast cancer:

• Increase your level of physical activity
• Maintain a healthy weight and diet
• Decrease the consumption of alcohol
• Talk with your doctor about ways to avoid Combined Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Risk Factors

Many factors contribute to the risk of developing breast cancer — gender, age, family history and race among them.

• Breast cancer occurs nearly 100 times more often in women than in men. Men can also be diagnosed with breast cancer, but they have a far greater risk developing Prostate Cancer.
• Two out of three women with invasive cancer are diagnosed after age 55.
• If your mother, sister, father or child has been diagnosed with breast cancer, the risk of you developing breast cancer increases, especially if your relative was diagnosed before the age of 50.
• It is unknown as to why, but breast cancer is more common in Caucasian women.

Keep in mind: You only have control over some aspects of your risk factors. Sierra Nevada Cancer is here to help if you are diagnosed, with facilities and treatments that will encourage healing in your battle against cancer.

 For more information about breast cancer, click here. http://www.sierranevadacancer.com/news/focus-breast-cancer

Sierra Nevada Cancer Center Helps Women with Breast Cancer

It is estimated that in the year 2015, about 40,290 wives, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, nieces and sisters will die from breast cancer.

However, according to the American Cancer Society, there are currently more than 2.8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States.

We like that number.

Yes, breast cancer can be deadly. But the big picture reveals: Many, MANY survive. And we at Sierra Nevada Cancer Center are here to help.

Breast cancer is comprised of malignant cells that start in the cells of the breast and can grow into surrounding tissues or spread to distant areas of the body.

At Sierra Nevada Cancer, we believe in fighting alongside our patients when treating breast cancer. We strive to educate patients about breast cancer and the treatment options that are best for them.

Early detection is vital for any kind of cancer; specific to breast cancer, the following are the American Cancer Society recommendations for early breast cancer detection in women without breast symptoms:

Women age 40 and older should have a mammogram every year and should continue to do so for as long as they are in good health.

• Women in their 20s and 30s should have a clinical breast exam (CBE) as part of a periodic (regular) health exam by a health professional preferably every 3 years. Starting at age 40, women should have a CBE by a health professional every year.
• Breast self-exam (BSE) is an option for women starting in their 20s. Women should be told about the benefits and limitations of BSE. Women should report any breast changes to their health professional right away.
• Women who are at high risk for breast cancer based on certain factors should get an MRI and a mammogram every year.

Treatment Options

So if breast cancer is detected, how can it be treated?

There are numerous ways to treat breast cancer, and the type of treatment recommended will always take stage of the disease, lifestyle and personal patient histories into consideration.

Patients at SNCC experience one-on-one counseling, complete education about options and consultation about side effects, expected outcomes and considerations for each choice.

Primarily, however, these are the main types of treatment for breast cancer:

• Surgery
  • Breast-conserving surgery: where only the part of the breast containing the cancer is removed.
  • Mastectomy: surgery that removes the entire breast, including breast tissue and other nearby tissues.
• Radiation therapy
  • External beam radiation: radiation applied from a machine outside the body on the area affected by the cancer.
  • Brachytherapy: known as internal radiation, radioactive seeds or pellets are placed into a device in the breast tissue in the area where the cancer was identified.
• Chemotherapy: cancer-killing drugs that may be given intravenously (injected into a vein) or by mouth.
• Hormone therapy: most often used to help reduce the risk of the cancer coming back after surgery, but also used to treat cancer that has come back after treatment or has spread.
• Targeted therapy: drugs that target the HER2/neu protein. A number of drugs have been developed that target this protein:
  • Trastuzumab (Herceptin)
  • Pertuzumab (Perjeta®)
  • Ado-trastuzumabemtansine (Kadcyla™)
  • Lapatinib (Tykerb)
• Bone-directed therapy: drugs like bisphosphonates and denosumab are used when cancer spreads to bones, to lower the risks of pain, fractures and other problems.

Our next post (article) will focus on the importance of personal Cancer Care, risk factors for breast cancer and preventive measures.

In the meantime, if you or someone you love is diagnosed with breast cancer, Sierra Nevada Cancer facilities are specifically designed to make Cancer Treatments relaxing and comfortable, allowing us to aid you in your battle against cancer.

For more information about breast cancer, click here. http://www.sierranevadacancer.com/news/focus-breast-cancer