October 26, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Earlier this week we posted about Pink Beach, a swimwear line aimed at women who have had breast cancer. It’s not the first company to find a niche in the sartorial needs of women who have had breast cancer or experienced other illnesses. Check out some of these fashions:
October 24, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Dr. Judith Hurley’s patients have enough to worry about without the indignity of trying to find a swimsuit that fits well. “It’s absolutely horrible to go bathing suit shopping, it’s the most ghastly process,” says Hurley. “Imagine what it must be like if you’re missing one breast, or one breast is much bigger than the other, or you have radiation marks all over.” Which is why the doctor launched a fashion line, designed specifically for women surviving breast cancer.
October 18, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Before Tracy Smith Moss, a resident of Freeport, Grand Bahama, spit her DNA sample into a small plastic container that resembled a contact lens case and handed it over to an American researcher, she knew where this was headed. After all, Moss grew up with dinner table stories of a grandmother who died at 35 because she chose to save a pregnancy over treating breast cancer. Moss watched her mother battle breast cancer for 17 years. She supported an older sister through a double mastectomy and radiation therapy. And when she was 43, Moss spent the majority of her first pregnancy on chemotherapy.
October 11, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Mixed news from the American Cancer Society: according to research out this month, breast cancer death rates are dropping, but they’re dropping slowly for women in poverty.
October 10, 2011
By Sammy Mack – It’s October, breast cancer awareness month, and Floridians everywhere are seeing pink. Pink ribbons. Pink-lit buildings. Pink-tie galas. Pink ribbon beer pong tables.
September 14, 2011
By Farah Dosani – Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among American women behind skin cancer. It’s estimated that one in nearly every eight women will develop it in her lifetime. However, research reveals that routine mammograms can decrease the death rate by nearly a third. Dr. Hatem Soliman is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at The Center for Women’s Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. He tells WGCU’s Gulf Coast Live host Valarie Edwards about the latest treatments available and why he entered the field.
July 21, 2011
By Kimberly Vlach – In Thursday’s rounds, a doctors group recommends women should begin annual mammograms at age 40, contradicting recent guidelines; women’s height is linked to cancer risk; and calorie counts at restaurants are not always accurate.
July 11, 2011
By Dalia Colón – First Lady Betty Ford survived breast cancer, championed the HIV/AIDS community and advocated for abortion rights. But Ford, who died Friday at age 93, will likely be best remembered for her eponymous alcohol and drug addiction treatment center. She opened the Betty Ford Center in 1982 in Rancho Mirage, Calif., after her own public battle with addiction.
June 28, 2011
By Kimberly Vlach – In Tuesday’s rounds, a study finds that mammograms can reduce deaths by at least 30%; Florida’s death rate after plastic surgery holds steady despite the Board of Medicine’s tough rules; doctors often make the wrong choice of skipping radiation following a mastectomy for advanced cancer; early research on lab-grown blood vessels give hope.
June 23, 2011
By Dalia Colón – The government’s new cigarette warning labels may be controversial, but they’re also right on time, according to new figures from the American Cancer Society. Lung cancer continues to kill more Americans than any other cancer, with about 160,000 Americans expected to die from the disease this year. In total, ACS estimates 1.6 million new cancers will be diagnosed this year, with about 572,000 cancer deaths.
February 22, 2011
By Euna Lhee – Need a breast biopsy? You may want to opt for the needle version. Too many Florida women are having invasive surgical breast biopsies, according to scientists at the University of Florida. They say needle biopsies would be less invasive, safer and cheaper.
December 8, 2010
[BLOG] – By Sammy Mack Elizabeth Edwards, who first entered the national stage as the wife of presidential candidate and former senator John Edwards, died yesterday after a long struggle with breast cancer. She was 61. Edwards was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. On Monday, Edwards’ camp announced she would not be continuing cancer treatment and would rest at home. The cancer had metastasized to her bones and liver.