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Imaginis.com Breast Health Newsletter


IMAGINIS.COM BREAST HEALTH NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 4
JANUARY 25, 2001

Thousands of breast cancer patients, survivors and healthcare professionals receive the Imaginis.com Breast Health Newsletter, which is published by email every week. If you would like to add the email addresses of your friends and family to the newsletter mailing list, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/newsletter/

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SIEMENS PROUDLY SPONSORS IMAGINIS.COM

Through its proud sponsorship of Imaginis.com, Siemens is dedicated to providing comprehensive information and service to improve and advance women's health. To learn more about Siemens involvement in women's health, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/siemens/

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WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS AND INFORMATION

1. CHEMOTHERAPY AND/OR TAMOXIFEN RECOMMENDED EVEN FOR WOMEN WITH SMALL BREAST CANCERS
Researchers recommend that women with small breast tumors should also consider undergoing chemotherapy or drug treatment with tamoxifen in addition to breast cancer surgery to help prevent a recurrence of cancer. The recommendation is based on an analysis of patients from five clinical trials which shows an increase in disease-free survival among women with small tumors (one centimeter or less) and no cancerous lymph nodes who are treated with chemotherapy or tamoxifen versus those who just have surgery. In November 2000, a National Institutes of Health (NIH) panel of national and international experts made similar recommendations.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news1.22.01.asp

2. BREAST CANCER RISK DECLINES WITH EACH CHILDBIRTH BEFORE AGE 30
Physicians know that women who begin having children before age 30 have a lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who have children later in life or never have children.   Now Danish researchers have found that the more children a woman has before age 30, the lower her risk of breast cancer.  The results of the study suggest that the current view about childbirth and breast cancer risk should be modified to explain that multiple births at an earlier age decrease a woman’s risk of breast cancer even further.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news1.24.01.asp

3. STUDY ANALYZES RISK OF DEVELOPING SECOND BREAST CANCER
A recent study conducted by Swedish researchers shows that among women with breast cancer, those diagnosed at a young age (in their thirties) are more likely to develop a second cancer in the other breast than women who are originally diagnosed with breast cancer at an older age.  The researchers believe that genetic factors may play a role in breast cancers among young women.  In the study, young women with a family history of breast cancer were more likely to develop a second breast cancer than those without a family history of the disease. 
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news1.23.01.asp

4. UNDERSTANDING BREAST ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY
It is important for women to become familiar with the normal anatomy and physiology (function) of their breasts so that they can recognize early signs of possible abnormalities. This section outlines basic information on breast composition, development, and typical changes from puberty to pregnancy to menopause.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/breast_anatomy.asp

5. RESEARCHERS EXPLORE LINK BETWEEN LOW BONE MINERAL DENSITY AND STROKE RISK IN WOMEN
Several risk factors for stroke have been clearly identified including age, family history of stroke, smoking, lack of physical activity, and high blood pressure. Now, a new study published in the medical journal, "Stroke," finds that women who have strokes tend to have lower bone mineral density (BMD) measurements than women who do not suffer strokes, suggesting that low BMD may predict stroke risk in women. However, the study did not find a relationship between low BMD and stroke in men.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/osteoporosis/news/news1.19.2001.asp

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"Has anyone had reconstructive surgery post-mastectomy? I'm looking into it and have only been able to find survivors who had it at the same time as their initial surgery. Just want to know what to expect."

-recent post from patient breast health discussion,
http://www.imaginis.com/discussions/

Click here post or reply to messages on the Imaginis discussions:
http://www.imaginis.com/discussions/

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BREAST CANCER CLINICAL TRIAL SPOTLIGHT

RESEARCHERS RECRUIT ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PATIENTS TO TEST NEW THERAPY
Researchers are currently enrolling postmenopausal women for a clinical trial that will compare the combination of the research drug Biomed 777 (an aromatase inhibitor) plus Toremifene (an approved hormonal treatment for breast cancer), to Toremifene alone in postmenopausal patients with metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread from the breast to other parts of the body). Eligible participants must be diagnosed with estrogen or progesterone receptor positive advanced breast cancer with no prior hormonal or chemotherapy treatment for the disease. Other eligibility requirements apply.
Click here to learn more about this clinical trial:
http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studies/stu23154.html 

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NEW IN THE IMAGINIS BOOKSTORE

"Dear Stranger, Dearest Friend" by Laney Katz Becker (2000) is the story of an online friendship between two women who meet on a breast cancer bulletin board over the Internet. Adding a new twist on the old epistolary format, Laney Katz Becker's novel, which is based on her breast cancer experience, is told entirely through email. Lara is a trendy East Coaster; Susan is a down-to-earth Midwesterner. The women are seemingly very different, but there are many more ways in which they are alike. As their emails fly back and forth Susan and Lara share their most heartfelt thoughts about their health, children, careers, hobbies and marriages. This touching story of two strangers becoming soul mates feels like a few hours spent with a best friend over coffee--warm, comforting, and wonderfully satisfying.
Click here for more information on this book:
http://www.imaginis.com/bookstore/breasthealth/breasthealth.asp#Dear_Stranger

Click here to visit the patient or professional sections of the Imaginis bookstore:
http://www.imaginis.com/bookstore/

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