Cancerkin’s News….
Class updates…
Over the coming weeks Beverley Drumm will be offering an introductory course of Yoga and Dance therapy classes on Monday mornings. Classes in Kundalini yoga, a powerful practice where your body is gently stretched and toned, inducing deep relaxation and including postures and meditations specifically for women will take place at 10am. Classes in The Nia Technique, an expressive, dance-based movement form that is an exhilarating treat for body, mind and soul, will follow at 11am. The sessions are on Monday 29th November, 6th December and 13th December. Absolutely no experience is necessary and everybody is warmly welcome. To reserve your place, please email Laura at l.smith@cancerkin.org.uk or call 020 7830 2323.
Pilates classes will be put on hold over the Christmas period after this week’s session on Thursday 26th November. They will restart in the New Year on Thursday 13th January 2011.
Yoga will not take place this Friday, 26th November, as our yoga instructor Martin is away. Classes will resume on 3rd December 2010 when he returns.
Thank you from Cancerkin…
We would like to extend our thanks to Cheryl Berlin and Jenny Sandler, who helped us put on another successful patient support group session this week. Cheryl first gave an informative talk on genetics, breaking down the complex theory behind the BRCA1 and 2 genes, explaining how genetic testing is conducted and weighing up its benefits and disadvantages. Jenny then led a very enjoyable session in relaxation and exercise techniques. We would like to thank them both for giving us their time.
In the news…
The fight to reduce breast cancer risk…
This week, the Daily Mail has published an interesting article about the decision made by a young woman who discovered she carried a gene for breast cancer. After testing positive for the gene, Jodie Mason, 31, chose to have a radical double-mastectomy in order to reduce her risk of developing breast cancer. Although in perfect health, Miss Mason elected to have both breasts removed and replaced with gel implants, a decision that her mother had also taken five years earlier.
Miss Mason’s story highlights the difficult decisions faced by those who discover they have a familial predisposition to breast cancer - those with the gene have a higher risk of developing the disease. The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes can be identified by blood test and, following a positive result, preventative surgery is an option that some women take.
Accounts of radical surgery like Miss Mason’s regularly appear in the press, and whilst some deem it a drastic move, others consider it a practical decision. Speaking to the Daily Mail about her own experiences, Miss Mason said 'It is something that hangs over you and now that I have had the operation I feel like I can get on with my life.' She added: 'The operation doesn't guarantee that I won't get another form of cancer but at least I have protected myself from breast cancer.' To read her story in full, please click here.
Annual screening for younger women continued…
As we reported in the last edition of On the pulse, a leading cancer screening expert, Professor Stephen Duffy, has argued for the introduction of annual breast screening for women in their 40s with a moderate to high risk of developing breast cancer. Cancer Research UK this week published more information about the study upon which his comments are based.
The study, conducted by researchers at Queen Mary, University of London, examined 6,710 women with an intermediate familial risk of developing breast cancer, in order to find out if annual screening at an earlier age could have an impact on how early cancers were detected and on a patient’s risk of dying within ten years of diagnosis. The whole group received annual screening for an average of 4 years. Results taken from the group were then compared to those of women in two other studies into breast cancer, most of whom had not received an annual mammogram. Researchers found that in women who had been screened, breast cancer tumours were on the whole significantly smaller, less likely to spread to the lymph nodes and of a lower grade. They also discovered that women who had been diagnosed with invasive breast cancer but who had received mammograms were more likely to survive to ten years after diagnosis.
Published in the Lancet Oncology medical journal, the study states that: “In women younger than 50 years who are at medium or greater familial risk of breast cancer, mammographic surveillance could increase cancer detection, reduce the risk of advanced stage disease and decrease predicted mortality.” Hazel Nunn, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “Since it seems 5,000 women would need to be screened to save one life, it will be important to weigh up these benefits carefully against potential risks of routine mammography before deciding whether screening really is the best course of action for this group. We await the results of further research measuring the risks.”
To read more about the study, please click here.
Laura Smith 25th November 2010
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