Traditional support groups find participants sitting in a circle sharing stories, struggles and advice. But breast cancer patients and survivors can find comfort and help in many ways and in many places, both in person and online.
Major breast cancer websites have online discussion groups where people may connect, get tips or share advice for coping with treatments and side effects. Among our favorites:
Plenty of information, such as “what to do the day of surgery,” is readily available. Some of these major websites also have thousands of discussion boards, many of them splintering into local meet-ups.
“Support groups help validate your experience,” said Selma Schimmel, founder of Vital Options International, a cancer communications and advocacy organization. She is also a breast cancer survivor and author of the book, “Cancer Talk.”
Schimmel believes breast cancer patients who attend support groups have an easier time and survive longer because they get positive energy and up-to-date information during what can be an emotional tidal wave. Groups are a great place to learn about side effects, clinical trials and trends with treatment, she said.
Specialized support groups are also plentiful. Mothers Support Daughters with Breast Cancer was founded in 1995 by mom Charmayne Dierk and daughter Lillie Shockney in Washington, DC. Their organization, which has local resources, has helped more than 10,000 women.
Men Against Breast Cancer offers online resources to men who want to support women in their lives with breast cancer. Survivors are the heart of another group, SHARE, which offers support to women in and around New York City who have been diagnosed with breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
Tobey Young of Oceanside, NY, started a support group on Long Island after feeling that she didn’t have the support she needed after her mastectomy
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as a practicing oncologist, I would like to remind the women of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County about the importance of regular screenings.
About one in eight women (12 percent) will develop invasive breast cancer at some time in their lives. It is the most common form of cancer among women, aside from skin cancers.
What you can do to
decrease your risk
The easiest, simplest and most crucial way for women to decrease their odds of developing breast cancer is routine screening. Through screenings we can detect cancer at the earliest possible stage, when it can be treated and potentially cured. Higher-stage or advanced cancer cases are associated with worse outcome, decreased chance of cure and require more aggressive treatment.
Stick to screening
guidelines
For most women who are not at increased risk, mammograms should be started at 40 years old and should be performed at least every two years, preferably on an annual basis.
There are differing schools of thought about the starting age and frequency of screening. Women should seek the advice of their primary care physician and make a decision about what is best for their unique situation, and be sure to understand why they may be at increased risk for any reason, such as age, medical history, family history or other health factors.
Be aware of risk factors
Genetics directly affects risk. Women who have a history of breast cancer in any first-degree family members, especially those diagnosed at a premenopausal age, should begin screening at an earlier age (30 or younger than the earliest onset of breast cancer in the family) and consider other primary prevention strategies. Imaging like breast MRI should be incorporated into the screening regimen for patients with known hereditary risk. It is important to keep in mind that the same mutation that predisposes a woman to breast cancer can also cause ovarian cancer. Therefore, family members who had a history of ovarian cancer should also be part of the risk evaluation.
Prevention should be part of lifestyle
While it may be hard to believe, everyday activities can help or hurt our chances of developing cancer. A healthy, well-balanced diet and regular exercise, for instance, promotes overall good health and will decrease risk.
Child birth and breastfeeding have been shown to reduce risk of breast cancer, while late first child birth and late menopause are associated with slightly increased risk.
Women should avoid hormone-replacement therapy, if possible, or minimize the length of exposure if it is needed for symptomatic relief.
What happens next
Any detectable lump in the breast should be discussed with a physician, regardless of mammogram results. Not all breast cancers are detected on mammograms. In the event a suspicious lesion is detected by self breast exam or mammogram, the next step is typically an ultrasound, or sometimes MRI, followed by a biopsy.
If invasive cancer is diagnosed, it does not have to be life-threatening. Thanks to the advancement in cancer research and treatment in the past 20 years, mortality rate among breast cancer patients has been steadily declining. But the fundamental truth has not changed: The earlier the breast cancer is detected, the better chance of your survival.
This month is a good reminder for all women to schedule regular screenings and do everything we can to take care of ourselves throughout each year.
Yanjun Ma, MD, PhD., is a practicing physician with Tennessee Oncology in Murfreesboro.
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