At the age of 32, Katherine Russell Rich was a newly divorced magazine editor living in the Big Apple. However, her life changed dramatically over the course of the next 10 years as she struggled with breast cancer. THE RED DEVIL is the memoir she has chosen to write about those years in which her indefatigable spirit came up against many an obstacle and yet still seemed to persevere. She has survived a lumpectomy, radiation, several protocols of chemotherapy and hormones, a bone marrow transplant and alternative healing techniques. Her sharp eye for detail and sense of humor serve her well in this gripping account. Navigating the medical universe of a cancer patient Rich became dissatisfied with several medical professionals before she finally found a physician who had her best interests at heart: her first breast surgeon had been prepared to operate without doing a mammogram until her mother intervened; another oncologist did not return her phone calls and consistently undermined her until Rich finally got the message that she was no longer interested in treating her. Rich also explores the difficulties that having advanced cancer caused in her personal life. She is now involved in a combination of alternative treatments and chemotherapy that her oncologist is convinced will stabilize, if not cure, her disease.

To connect with other Stage IV survivors:http://www.breastcancer.org
To purchase the book: www.amazon.com

Fighting cancer is difficult enough, but living with it is even tougher -This is where the Cleaning for a Reason Foundation steps in. This newly formed nonprofit offers free professional housecleaning, and maid services to improve the lives of women undergoing treatment for cancer – any type of cancer. They have 596 partners in 50 states and Canada!

You can help now. If you are a cancer patient, or If you currently use a professional house cleaning service to clean your home, please call and ask them if they’ve heard of the Cleaning For A Reason foundation. Every day, they recruit a new maid service to join the program and become Partners with a heart and soul for house cleaning. please go to this link: Cleaning for a cure.

According to estimates of lifetime risk, about 12.0 percent of women (120 out of 1,000) in the general population will develop breast cancer sometime during their lives compared with about 60 percent of women (600 out of 1,000) who have inherited a harmful mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 (breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 and breast cancer susceptibility gene 2). In other words, a woman who has inherited a harmful mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 is about five times more likely to develop breast cancer than a woman who does not have such a mutation.

Several methods are available to test for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. Most of these methods look for changes in BRCA1 and BRCA2 DNA. At least one method looks for changes in the proteins produced by these genes. Frequently, a combination of methods is used.

Most people do not have a BRCA gene mutation (only about 1 in 800 people in the general population will have one and currently, there are no standard criteria for recommending or referring someone for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation testing.

In a family with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer, it may be most informative to first test a family member who has breast or ovarian cancer. If that person is found to have a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, then other family members can be tested to see if they also have the mutation.

Regardless, women who have a relative with a harmful BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation and women who appear to be at increased risk of breast and/or ovarian cancer because of their family history should consider genetic counseling to learn more about their potential risks and about BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic tests.

The likelihood of a harmful mutation in BRCA1 or BRCA2 is increased with certain familial patterns of cancer which include the following:

You might be at increased risk of having a BRCA gene mutation — and a candidate for BRCA gene testing — if you have:

1. A personal history of breast cancer diagnosed at a young age (premenopausal), breast cancer affecting both breasts (bilateral breast cancer), or both breast and ovarian cancers
2. A family history of breast cancer at a young age in two or more close relatives, such as your parents, siblings and children
3. A family history of breast cancer in more than one generation
4. A male relative with breast cancer
5. A family member who has both breast and ovarian cancers
6. A family member with bilateral breast cancer
7. A frequent occurrence of ovarian cancer within your family
8. A positive BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic test in a relative
9. Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jewish ancestry, with or without a family history of breast or ovarian cancer

to learn more please go to: www.cancer.gov

Women with early stage breast cancer increasingly choose breast conservation therapy (BCT). In the BCT option, the cancerous tumor is surgically removed in a procedure known as lumpectomy. To minimize the chances of the cancer recurrence, physicians recommend a course of follow-up treatments which always include radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy and/or hormonal therapy.

Radiation therapy is used to effectively “sterilize” any residual cancerous or pre-cancerous microscopic tissue that may exist in the vicinity of the tumor. Radiation therapy is an indispensable part of the BCT procedure. Radiation of the breast tissue can be performed by different techniques. The established standard-of-care for breast radiotherapy is whole breast irradiation (WBI). This is a procedure that is performed daily for a period of 6-7 weeks after surgery. An important part of the WBI process is the delivery of a higher localized dose, known as the “boost dose”, to the lumpectomy cavity margin – the most likely site for cancer recurrence. AccuBoost is designed to target and deliver the all-important boost dose accurately and reliably.

To learn more about how AccuBoost works click on the link: www.accuboost.com

Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) (also referred to locally as National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM)) is an annual international health campaign organized by major breast cancer charities every October to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure. The campaign also offers information and support to those affected by breast cancer.
As well as providing a platform for breast cancer charities to raise awareness of their work and of the disease, BCAM is also a prime opportunity to remind women to be breast aware for earlier detection. Please visit the following links and see how you can get involved.
http://ww5.komen.org/
http://www.breastcancer.org/
www.webmd.com