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Imaginis.com Breast Health Newsletter


IMAGINIS.COM BREAST HEALTH NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 31
DECEMBER 21, 2000

Thousands of breast cancer patients, survivors and healthcare professionals receive the Imaginis.com Breast Health Newsletter, which is published by email every week. If you would like to add the email addresses of your friends and family to the newsletter mailing list, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/newsletter/

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SIEMENS PROUDLY SPONSORS IMAGINIS.COM

Through its proud sponsorship of Imaginis.com, Siemens is dedicated to providing comprehensive information and service to improve and advance women's health. To learn more about Siemens involvement in women's health, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/siemens/

SIEMENS AND FUJI JOIN FORCES IN MAMMOGRAPHY

Siemens Medical Systems will now be offering mammography systems with CR (computed radiography) technology from Fujifilm Medical Systems. Under this new agreement between Siemens and Fuji, Siemens will sell the Fuji CR as a full-field digital mammography option on its Mammomat 3000 and Mammomat 3000 Nova systems. Mammomat users will be able to replace their conventional film-screen cassettes with Fuji CR plates, giving them the ability to produce digital mammography exams. To learn more about full-field digital mammography or other advances in breast imaging, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news12.01.00.asp

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WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWS AND INFORMATION

1. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN DRUG TREATMENT OF ADVANCED BREAST CANCER
Nearly 183,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed by the end of 2000 and many of those cancers will have already progressed to advanced stages before they are detected. The approach to treating advanced (metastatic) breast cancer focuses largely on relieving cancer symptoms and extending survival time. Recently, researchers have been investigating several drugs (or new combinations of drugs) that may give women with advanced breast cancer more treatment options. This article provides the latest information on Arimidex (anastrozole), Femara (letrozole), Xeloda (capecitabine), Taxotere (docetaxel), Herceptin (trastuzumab), Taxol (paclitaxel) and Paraplatin (carboplatin).
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news12.18.00.asp

2.  STUDY FINDS PATIENTS WHO HAVE "MINI STROKES" (TIAs) SHOULD SEEK TREATMENT IMMEDIATELY
Physicians have known for years that patients who suffer transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), brief interruptions in the blood flow to the brain, are at risk for heart disease or strokes sometime in the future. However, a new study finds the risk of stroke may be almost immediate, often within days of a TIA. Therefore, the researchers say that patients who suffer TIAs should seek medical attention as soon as possible so immediate precautions may be taken to decrease the risk of stroke.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/stroke/news/news12.19.00.asp

3. BRITISH SCIENTISTS GROW BONE FROM STEM CELLS, COULD ONE DAY HELP THOSE WITH OSTEOPOROSIS
For the first time, scientists have successfully transformed unspecialized embryo cells into bone, according to a presentation by British researchers at a symposium for stem cell research in London. Approximately 90% of the stem cells from a mouse embryo grew into bone within 21 days. The researchers hope to produce the same results with human embryos, which may eventually lead to improvements in treating patients with severe bone injuries or diseases, such as osteoporosis.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/osteoporosis/news/news12.15.2000.asp

4. DUCTAL LAVAGE - A NEW EXAM THAT MAY HELP DETECT BREAST CANCER EARLY
Ductal lavage is a diagnostic procedure being developed to be used in addition to clinical breast exams and mammography. Ductal lavage helps identify cancerous and pre-cancerous cells by examining samples of cells from the milk ducts of the breast. Dubbed the "breast pap smear," breast surgeon Susan Love, MD believes ductal lavage can help physicians better understand how breast cancer develops and identify women most likely to develop breast cancer. This article explains how ductal lavage is performed and addresses potential benefits and limitations to the exam.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/ductal_lavage.asp

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Imaginis.com Editor,

As a breast cancer advocate and survivor, I worry every time a new study or "cure" hits the media. Everyone knows that breast cancer is a hot topic and the press, online services and news shows rush to report the latest news.  Problem is most only receive a fax or abstract from either the source or a wire service and most just print the story verbatim without any editorial comment.

Here is a case in point - The recent study on the link between pollutants and breast cancer risk (dateline 12/5/00) was carried by the media across the country and heavily reported on Long Island, where the study is based.  Some of the headlines were misleading: "LI Chemical Study Finds No Cancer Tie" (NY Daily News)  First, it was a relatively small study.  Second, Long Island women were tested but I do not believe the study indicates the length of residency on Long Island.  (Since breast cancer is slow growing and pollutant exposure could have happened years ago, this could be an important factor).  Third, the results showed no difference in the levels of the chemicals examined in the breast tissue of the two study groups. The study does not explain the fact that perhaps women with a risk for breast cancer (and we still don't know all the risks!) might react differently to the same amount of pollutants.  Perhaps the chemicals alter the metabolism of estrogen in a woman's system. Fourth, they only looked at a few chemicals.  Fifth, even the researchers point out that more study is needed and yet, the media reports it as if there is no correlation between chemicals and breast cancer. 

I don't dispute the results of the study - the same level of DDT, PCB, chlordane and hexachlorobezene were found in the adipose tissue of all women.  What does that mean?   The result states "Exposure to the pollutants does not appear to be a direct cause of breast cancer."  The key is "does not appear." Clearly further study is indicated, especially since several of the pollutants are listed as potential or probable carcinogens.

Many women take media articles as the unbiased truth, when in fact, most articles are just printed as received.  Imaginis does a good job of disseminating the latest news.   Perhaps you would increase your value for your readers by adding a commentary section by a health professional, research associate or advocate. Thanks for your time.

Linda Bily

SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK TOO!

If you have questions or comments regarding the topics in this newsletter or if you have suggestions for future articles, please email us at mailto:breasthealth@imaginis.com . To discuss specific breast health and women's health issues with others, please visit the Imaginis.com Discussions at http://www.imaginis.com/discussions/

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VISIT THE NEW IMAGINIS BOOKSTORE FOR PATIENTS AND PROFESSIONALS

The newly redesigned Imaginis Bookstore contains over 130 titles on breast health, breast cancer, medical imaging, and other women's health topics. The bookstore is divided into two sections, one for patients and the other for healthcare professionals. The books in the patient bookstore have been written for the general public and cover all aspects of breast cancer and related health topics. The healthcare professionals section contains books written specifically for physicians, nurses, medical imaging technologists, and other healthcare professionals.
Click here to visit the bookstore:
http://www.imaginis.com/bookstore/

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