IMAGINIS.COM BREAST HEALTH NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 3, ISSUE 15
APRIL 19, 2001

**SPECIAL NOTE: DUE TO A TECHNICAL UPGRADE, NEXT WEEK'S NEWSLETTER WILL BE DELAYED BY ONE WEEK. IN THE MEANTIME, PLEASE VISIT http://www.imaginis.com/ FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND INFORMATION ON BREAST CANCER AND OTHER WOMEN'S HEALTH TOPICS.**

BREAST HEALTH NEWS AND INFORMATION

1. SUZANNE SOMERS TRIES ALTERNATIVE THERAPY TO TREAT BREAST CANCER, STUDIES SHOW SHE'S NOT ALONE
Actress Suzanne Somers recently announced that she has breast cancer and is using an alternative therapy to help treat the disease. Somers is taking Iscador, an extract of mistletoe that some claim stimulates the immune system and helps fight cancer and other diseases. While standard breast cancer treatment typically consists of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and/or other drug therapies, recent studies find that the majority of breast cancer patients also use some form of non-traditional therapy in addition to these established ones.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news4.18.01.asp

2. RESEARCHERS CONTINUE TO FIND BENEFITS TO DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the first full-field digital mammography system in 2000, researchers have been investigating how digital (computerized) mammography compares to standard film mammography. Recent studies continue to show that digital mammography is at least as effective as standard mammography in detecting breast cancer and may provide additional benefits, such as lower radiation doses and higher sensitivity to abnormalities. While full-field digital mammography is not yet widely available, physicians routinely using digital "spot view" mammography to help guide needles during breast biopsy.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news4.16.01.asp

3. WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BREAST CANCER?
A diagnosis of breast cancer can be stressful, and understanding what type of cancer, whether it's "non-invasive" or "invasive" and so on, can be even more trying. This article discusses how cancer develops and provides summaries of common and uncommon types of breast cancer, including lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), infiltrating lobular carcinoma (ILC), infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC), tubular carcinoma, inflammatory breast cancer, Paget’s disease of the nipple, and more. 
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/breast_cancer.asp

4. ALL ABOUT LYMPH NODES
The lymphatic system is an essential part of the immune system, which helps the body fight infections or cancers. Whether the lymph nodes contain cancer cells is an important factor when staging breast cancer, determining treatment, and predicting survival.  Though breast cancer has the potential to spread to other regions of the body first, it most commonly spreads first to the axillary (underarm) lymph nodes. This article explains how the lymphatic system works, why the lymph nodes are important in staging breast cancer, when lymph nodes may appear enlarged, and more.
Click here to read more:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/lymph_nodes.asp

5. BREAST CANCER AWARENESS AND WOMEN'S HEALTH EVENTS
Imaginis.com has created a comprehensive directory of upcoming events that help raise funds for breast cancer awareness or other women's health issues. The directory includes city/dates for a variety of events, including Komen's Race for the Cure, the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, Avon Breast Cancer 3-Day Walks, Big Bam's Events to raise breast cancer awareness among young women, and many more.
Click here to view the directory:
http://www.imaginis.com/events/

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VISIT THE ALL NEW CLINICAL TRIALS SECTION ON IMAGINIS!

*In-depth information about pros and cons of entering a trial
*Definitions of common terms used with trials
*Comprehensive list of resources to find relevant trials

Click here to visit the clinical trials section:
http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/clinical_trials.asp

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IMAGINIS.COM BREAST CANCER DISCUSSION BOARD

"I have to have a tram flap reconstruction. Any helpful hints to make the recovery time faster. I am a teacher and can't be out of the classroom for long. Thanks tons!"

Click here to visit this discussion:
http://www.imaginis.com/_private/ubb/Forum1/HTML/000428.html

Click here to post or reply to other messages on the Imaginis discussion boards:
http://www.imaginis.com/discussions/

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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER

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 enjoy receiving this newsletter, feel free to share it with a friend, colleague or family member. Simply click "forward," type in a friend's email address, and then click "send." 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/

Please visit the Imaginis.com website at http://www.imaginis.com/

Imaginis.com is an independent, award-winning, comprehensive resource for news and information on breast cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment and related women's health topics such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), multiple sclerosis, osteoporosis, and ovarian cancer. Imaginis.com breast health content is edited by an expert breast imager and a breast surgeon. To learn more about the Imaginis.com Breast Health Team and Editorial Board, please visit
http://www.imaginis.com/about/breast_health_team.asp

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