THE PEOPLE'S CLINIC
African-Americans and breast cancer:
healthier women, healthier communities
I BY MAYA ANOELOU CENTER
FOR HEALTH EQUITY
SPECIAL TO
THECHRONICI-P
Breast Cancer contin
ues to be one of the leading
causes of death among
women, particularly minor
ity women, in the United
States. The American
Cancer Society (ACS) esti
mates that more than
246,000 new cases of inva
sive breast cancer, and
61,000 new cases of non
invasive (in situ) breast
cancer will be diagnosed in
2016.
Approximately 40,000
women will die from the
disease this year. Did you
know that 33% (one-third)
of cancer diagnoses in
African American (AA)
women are for breast can
cer?
The ACS estimates that
more than 27,000 cases of
breast cancer will be diag
nosed among African
American women in 2016,
and more than 6,000
African American women
will die from the disease.
This means 1 out of every 9
AA women will be diag
nosed with breast cancer at
some point in their lives.
Overall (for all women)
the number of breast cancer
deaths has gone down
steadily in recent decades,
AA women still have a sig
nificantly higher death rate
from breast cancer com
pared to whites, and unfor
tunately, the rate of breast
cancer in AA women has
continued to rise. Although
less African American
women are diagnosed with
breast cancer, compared
with white women, they
are often diagnosed at later
stages of the disease. This
is partially due to differ
ences in access to and use
of early detection (mam
mograms) and treatment.
Research has shown that
African American women
often have different types
of breast cancers/tumors
than white women, which
often do not respond as
well to traditional breast
cancer treatment. African
American women essen
tially need to educate each
other about the increased
risk and importance of
early detection of breast
cancer.
Breast cancer is the
most common type of can
cer that can be diagnosed in
women as well as men.
Breast cancer is the uncon
trolled growth of cells in
the breast tissue, in which
80% arise form mammary
duct while 20% arise from
milk producing lobules of
the breast. The specific
causes of breast cancer
remain 'unclear; currently
efforts to understand devel
opment of breast cancer
include family history and
genetic risk.
The precise causes of
breast cancer are unknown,
but a number of control
lable and uncontrollable
factors may increase the
risk of developing breast
cancer.
Controllable risk fac
tors include:
?Use of oral contracep
tives for five years or
longer.
?Never having chil
dren.
?Having a first child
after the age of 30.
?Having more than one
alcoholic drink per day.
?Obesity and high fat
diets.
?Decreased exercise.
Recent studies have
also indicated that use of
combined estrogen and
progesterone hormone
replacement therapy, is
considered a controllable
risk factor for breast cancer
Uncontrollable risk
factors include:
?Being female
?Advancing in age
?Family history of
breast cancer
?A previous biopsy that
shows a pre-cancerous
condition
?First period before the
age of 12
?Having menopause
after the age of 55
?A mutation of breast
cancer genes. Two genes,
BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 are
associated with breast can
cer risk, but not all individ
uals who develop breast
cancer have this gene
The most important
first steps for screening and
detection is familiarity with
your own breasts so you
can note any changes. The
best chance for curing
breast cancer is early detec
tion and treatment. Women
should perform monthly
self-breast examinations
beginning at age 20. The
ACS suggests the follow
ing steps for a self-exam:
?Lie down on your
back and place your right
arm behind your head. The
exam is done while lying
down, not standing up.
This is because when lying
down the breast tissue
spreads evenly over the
chest wall and is as thin as
possible, making it much
easier to feel all the breast
tissue.
?Use the finger pads of
the 3 middle fingers on
your left hand to feel for
lumps in the right breast.
Use overlapping dime
sized circular motions of
the finger pads to feel the
breast tissue.
?Use 3 different levels
of pressure to feel all the
breast tissue. Light pres
sure is needed to feel the
tissue closest to the skin,
medium pressure to feel a
little deeper, firm pressure
to feel the tissue closest to
the chest and ribs. It is nor
mal to feel a firm ridge in
the lower curve of each
breast, but you should tell
your doctor if you feel any
thing else out of the ordi
nary. If you're not sure how
hard to press, talk with
your doctor or nurse. Use
each pressure level to feel
the breast tissue before
moving on to the next spot.
?Move around the
breast in an up and down
pattern, starting at an imag
inary line drawn straight
down your side from the
underarm, moving across
the breast to the middle of
the chest bone (sternum or
breastbone). Be sure to
check the entire breast area
going down until you feel
only ribs and up to the neck
or collarbone (clavicle).
?Repeat the exam on
your left breast, putting
your left arm behind your
head and using the finger
pads of your right hand to
do the exam.
?While standing in
front of a mirror with your
hands pressing firmly
down on your hips, look at
your breasts for any
changes of size, shape,
contour, dimpling, redness
or scaliness of the nipple or
breast skin. (The pressing
down on the hips position
contracts the chest wall
muscles and enhances any
breast changes.)
?Examine each under
arm while sitting up or
standing with your arm
only slightly raised so you
can easily feel in this area.
Raising your arm straight
up tightens the tissue in this
area and makes it harder to
examine.
Current clinical
#
screening recommenda
tions include:
?Mammography (a
breast x-ray) every year
starting at age 40
?Your healthcare
provider should also com
plete a clinical breast exam
at least every three years
between ages 20-39 and
yearly beginning at age 40.
?Women younger than
age 25 years with BRCA
l/BRCA-2 mutations
should have clinical breast
examinations every year.
?Women with BRCA
l/BRCA-2 mutations or
with strong family histories
of breast or ovarian cancer
who are over age 25 years
should have a clinical
breast examination every
6-12 months and mam
mography every year.
?The ACS also recom
mends using annual
screening with Magnetic
Resonance Imaging (MRI,
3 rype of Xray) in addition
to mammography . for
women at high risk.
A provider should be
consulted about risk fac
tors and the best screen
ing plan.
Treatment for breast
cancer should be deter
mined with a healthcare
provider. The most com
mon types of treatment are
surgery, radiation therapy,
chemotherapy, hormone
therapy, Targeted therapy
(drugs used in combination
with chemotherapy that
certain proteins/antibodies
in cancer cells) and bone
directed therapy (drugs that
reduce the risk of bone pain
and fracture when cancer
has spread and/or causes
bone weakness).
If you or someone is
diagnosed with breast can
cer, it is important to create
a list of questions to ask the
healthcare provider to
make sure you have all the
information, such as:
?What type of breast
cancer do 1 have? How
does this affect my treat
ment and prognosis?
?Has my cancer spread
to lymph nodes or internal
organs?
?What is the stage of
my cancer, and how does it
affect my treatment options
and outlook? *
?What treatments are
appropriate for me? What
cjp you recommend? Why?
?What are the risks and
side effects that I should <
expect?
?What will my breasts
look and feel like after my
treatment?
?What should I do to
get ready for treatment?
?What are the chances
my cancer will come back
with the treatment pro
grams we have discussed?
Will I go through
menopause as a result of
the treatment?
?Will I be able to have
children after my treat
ment?
?What type of follow
up will I need after treat
ment?
After treatment is com
plete, your healthcare
provider will watch closely
for a recurrence of cancer.
This can involve follow up
appointments, screening
and treatment of side
effects. It is important to
discuss any problems, con
cerns or questions.
For further informa
tion, visit the American
Cancer Society website at
http:llwww.cancer.org/.
For information about the
Maya Angelou Center for
Health Equity, visit
http://www.wake health .edu
/MACHE.
Sorority keeps busy in fall
Special to
the chronicle
During the month of
October, the Theta Mu
Sigma Chapter of Sigma
Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.
participated in a joint ven
ture by Area III members to
donate money to St. Jude.
Area HI is composed of
sorors from the t State of
North Carolina.
Additionally, the chap
ter has been very busy par
ticipating in voter educa
tion and get out the vote.
Soror Evelyn Sanders
chairs the voter's education
committee.
On Oct. 1, the chapter
participated in Keep
Winston Beautiful by
cleaning Argonne
Boulevard, which is the
chapter's assigned street to
keep clean. Soror Sonjia
Samuel chairs the Keep
Winston Beautiful commit
tee.
On Oct. 8, Theta Mu
Sigma Chapter held and
opened to the public a
Breast Cancer Awareness
presentation at Carver
School Road Library. The
guest was Cassandra
Lewis, representing the
Susan G. Komen founda
tion. "The presentation
was very informative and
inspiring," Theta Mu
Sigma Chapter officials
said.
Lewis stressed early
detection and self-exami
nation as the main keys to
living a longer and healthi
er life. Theta Mu Sigma
chapter welcomed, Lewis,
who is a member of Alpha
Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
For this &*^st cancer
awareness activity, sorors
wore pink ribbons or pink
lapel pins with the sorori
ty's Greek letters engraved
on them. Soror Courtney
Duncan-Adams and Soror
Sanders provided refresh
ments.
The sorority started off
this sorority year by recog
nizing a soror for the
month of September 2016.
Soror Courtney Duncan
Adams was recognized for
her outstanding work for
the chapter for the month
of September.
The chapter continued
the month of September
with its Operation
BigBookBag project,
where school supplies were
donated to Winston-Salem
Preparatory Academy. The
chapter continued its
September activities by
attending their Area III
Meeting held at N.C. A&T
State University in
Greensboro, where over
300 sorors representing
their chapters attended.
Rel.Cal
from page B3
Sunday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m.
for morning worship serv
ice. Minister Shawn
Gethers of Marantha
Temple of Praise,
Wilmington, N.C. will be
the guest speaker. Senior
Pastor Alice Mitchell is the
host pastor.
Ongoing
Wednesdays
Noon Service
Greater Cleveland
Avenue Christian Church,
5095 Lansing Dr., will
have noonday service
every Wednesday begin
ning at noon. The 45
minute service is designed
to uplift one's spirit in the
middle of the week. Senior
Pastor Bishop Sheldon M.
McCarter will preach. The
public is invited to attend.
Fof further information,
contact the church at 336
723-2266.
V t.
Monday - Friday
Free lunch and snack
Between noon and 2
p.m. Monday through
Friday, free lunch and
snack will be provided to
any child at Life Changing
Transformation Church
Ministries. The church is
located 2001 E. 25th St.
(corner of Ansonia and
25th Streets). Senior Pastor
Alice Mitchell is the* host
pastor.
4th Tuesday
Providing hope
through teaching
Join Calvary Hill
Church of Greater
Deliverance Inc., from
7:30 to 8:30 pjn. on the
fourth Tuesday of each
month at the Bethesda
Center, 930 North
Patterson Ave., where we
provide hope through
teaching and preaching
presented by Calvary Hill's
ministerial staff. For more
information contact the
?
church at 336-744-3012.
Wednesdays
Noonday' Express
New Liberty Baptist
Ministries, 5009 Voss St.,
will host Noon-Day
Express services on
Wednesdays from noon to
12:45 pjn. Guest speakers
from around the city and
area will encourage hearts
at midweek. A lunch will
be offered. The public is
cordially invited to attend.
The Rev. Dr. Linda Beal is
the host pastor. For more
information contact Tracee
Spears at 336-429-0512, or
Deacon Beal at 336-528
3256.
4th Thursday
Worship at Winston
Salem Rescue Mission
The Evangelism
Ministry of Pilgrim Rest
Missionary Baptist Church
located at 1905 N. Jackson
Ave. will worship the 4th
Thursday of die month at
the Winston-Salem Rescue
Vi,
Evelyn Sanders recognizes Courtney Duncan-Adams for her outstanding work
for the Theta Mu Sigma Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. for the
month of September.
Have a Story
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Let us Know
news@wschronicl(?om
Mission at 7 p.m.. Pilgrim
Rest's pastor is Paul W.
Hart.
Sundays and h
Wednesdays |
Clothes closet
The Ambassador II
Cathedral Clothes Closet
will be open on Sundays II
from noon to 2 pjn., and
Wednesdays from 5 to 7:30
p.m. at 1500 Harriet
Tubman Drive. Free to the
public. For more informa
tion, call 336-725-0901.
2nd Saturday
Food, clothes avail
able
Every second Saturday
of each month from 11 a.m.
to 1 p.m., Calvary Hill
Church of Greater
Deliverance Inc. invites
anyone who is in need of
food and clothes. The food
pantry and clothes closet is
at 4951 Manning St. Direct
all questions to Missionary
Tammy Orr at 336-744
3012.
NiW PAIIENIS
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(336) 744-1300
ELUSON
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