Our October meeting was beautifully decorated with a cooking theme to highlight our cookbook which will be available in the spring of 2009. Hostesses Mary Thompson, Patty Flesher, Kathy Meilleur, Helen Wildnaur and Doretta Bottenus also served delicious refreshments. 50/50 winners were Jean Wildenhaus and Doretta Bottenus. Door prizes were won by Martha Thomas, Dottie Rankin, Marilyn Falardeau, Judy Baust, Mary Thompson, Doretta Bottenus, Marty Boor and Louise Lee.

The speaker was Dr. Brian Heller from the Southern Cancer Center who gave a very informative talk on breast cancer. He outlined the process of the patient from diagnosis to recovery, starting with the first step which is detection. Many people question whether mammograms are necessary. Early detection is very important and mammograms are an important tool in early detection. Starting at age 50 a woman should have one yearly. From age 40 to 50 one every other year may be sufficient. And as an answer to a question from the audience, even a woman in her 80’s should still have a mammogram if she still physically active and healthy.

Once an abnormality has been detected the second step is to have a biopsy which is sent to a pathologist. If the pathologist finds cancerous cells, the next step is to see a surgeon for a lumpectomy or mastectomy. Most patients today only need a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy because it has been found that survival rates between patients who have lumpectomy and radiation therapy and those that have had mastectomy are equal.

The fourth step is to see a medical oncologist for systemic therapy, chemotherapy, and today there are many supportive medicines that make this less unpleasant. The goal is to kill cells outside the breast to prevent recurrence. It is very important to prevent recurrence because when the disease recurs it may still be treatable but may not be curable. Besides chemotherapy there are other options as well. Herceptin is a new way to block the Her2Neu growth factor receptor. Formerly, patients who had this genetic trait had disease recurrence more frequently but now they can be treated with Herceptin to prevent recurrence. Estrogen and progesterone are other growth factor receptors that can increase disease recurrence; however, one pill a day for 5 years can reduce recurrence as much as 50%. Another new option is the Oncotype Dx. This test checks for 21 different genes in the tumor to predict the chance of recurrence.

The fifth step for treatment is to see a radiation oncologist. Survival issues are also very important and the three to six months following treatment are the most difficult for the patient. Dr. Heller ended his talk with an extensive question and answer period that showed how much our members appreciated his presentation.