Don't Stop Getting Mammos

This past week, my mom and I attended a discussion on breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The talk was part of an ongoing series at MSKCC called CancerSmart:

"Memorial Sloan Kettering experts discuss the latest information on cancer-related topics, as well as advances in diagnosis, treatment, and research at our CancerSmart talks. We believe the more you know, the better equipped you will be to make informed choices about your health. 

Programs are presented in the fall and spring on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They are free and open to everyone. They are also available via live webcast. Join the conversation on Twitter at #CancerSmart."

Here are 5 takeaways I got from the interesting and engaging panel discussion.


Breast Cancer: Where We Are Today, Where We're Headed
Thursday, March 20, 2014 | 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Rockefeller Research Laboratories Auditorium, MSKCC, NYC
Panel: Clifford A. Hudis MD, Elizabeth Comen MD, Larry Norton MD
Moderator: Dr. Max Gomez

1. Don't stop getting mammos. Per Dr. Hudis, among the benefits of mammograms are finding cancers earlier (and smaller), less lymph node involvement when a cancer is found, and falling death rates.

2. We can't yet tell which non-invasive cancers will become invasive. Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is non-invasive, or pre-invasive, breast cancer. Unfortunately, doctors are unable to determine which cases will progress to invasive cancer. Therefore...

3. DCIS is treated because of the concern that it can become a cancerous lesion. Hence, while it is true that there may be some over-treatment of breast disease, until we know which cases of DCIS will or won't become invasive, it's important to be proactive (and mammograms help detect DCIS). Learn more about different types of breast cancer here.

4. There's no special cancer prevention diet. Eat a healthy diet, limit meat/animal fats & highly processed foods, and exercise. Read about nutrition & breast cancer here.

5. Supplements are not recommended for cancer prevention. Due to limited regulation, it's hard to know the quality of dietary supplements and their effects (both good & bad) are not well understood. Learn more about dietary supplements here.

The CancerSmart series from MSKCC is highlighted in the resources list in the right frame.

The next CancerSmart program, Getting Your Groove Back: Sex, Reproduction, and Body Image During and After Cancer, is on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 from 6:00 - 7:30 PM.