Each year in the United States, approximately 264,000 women and 2,400 men are diagnosed with breast cancer. Of those people, about 30% will go on to develop metastatic breast cancer (cancer that has spread beyond the breast, often to the brain, lungs, bones, or liver). Biopsies of breast cancer tissue determine if the surface of the cancer cells...
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Dr. Kelly Shanahan is a doer. As she wrote about her treatment for early stage breast cancer, “Even the four months of i.v. chemo needed because of one positive lymph node didn’t slow me down: I scheduled chemo for Thursdays, did surgery…on Fridays, threw up on Saturdays, ached from Neulasta® on Sundays, and was back in the office on...
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In From Physician to Patient, I introduced Dr. Kelly Shanahan, a mother, wife, and obstetrician-gynecologist living and working in California. Her life changed with a breast cancer diagnosis. “In 2008, I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, stage IIB to be exact. I underwent an aggressive bilateral mastectomy, because 1) as an ob/gyn...
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Dr. Kelly Shanahan attended the University of Virginia Medical School, graduating in 1987. Her residency at Temple University in obstetrics and gynecology ending as a chief resident in 1991. After practicing for a short time in Pennsylvania, she moved to California spring of 1994 “seeking a more ‘laid back life.'” She set up a private...
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Cherry Hughes** is an active, energetic 75 year old, still working in the marketing and public relations profession in Great Britain. Her life is filled with friends and fun. “I love cooking and eating out. I am deeply interested in politics. I love music …I go to jazz clubs. I love going to France …I have a little apartment...
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There are 1.6 million people diagnosed with cancer in the US each year. Of these, 650,000 receive chemotherapy. Did you know that 60,000 people a year are hospitalized for neutropenia, a common side effect of chemotherapy? One in fourteen die because of it. Of the 650,000 receiving chemotherapy, 104,000 are not aware of neutropenia and 52,000 don’t...
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In July 2017, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) conducted the National Cancer Opinion Survey to find out what people in the US know about cancer. ASCO released the results in October. The findings have already influenced recommendations made by the organization. Beliefs About Cancer Risk Among other questions, the survey asked 4,016...
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November 2, 2017 Beth Caldwell died. *** “Since being diagnosed with terminal cancer, I have had one goal: to live long enough to see The Girl start kindergarten. She was 2 and a half when I got diagnosed back in March of 2014, and starting kindergarten in 2017 would fall past median survival for me. Thinking about her having to start school without...
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You’re at a loss. You’ve just learned your friend or loved one is diagnosed with breast cancer. What do you do? How do you act? What do you say? As I look back at my own actions under these circumstances, I know that I came up short. I said the wrong things and made some basic mistakes. Partly I could blame youth. But mostly I...
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From September 8 through 12th, over 24,000 oncologists and oncology researchers attended the European Society of Medical Oncology Meeting (ESMO), the equivalent of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Meeting (ASCO) held in the US. This year’s event focused on connecting researchers to practitioners in a meaningful way. Here are some research...
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This summer has been a challenge after a family member with celiac disease had a gluten exposure (Click here to read more about celiac disease). Gluten damages the small intestine villi (see 5 Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Your Small Intestines), which are essential for nutrition absorption. For over a month, gastrointestinal pain, vomiting...
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Hearing this refrain, “I’m fine, I’m fine, really, I’m fine” at the end of a telephone line from a dear family member who had cancer nearly drove me crazy. I knew that she wasn’t fine. Reflecting back, I realize that I may have been asking the wrong question or saying the wrong things. It is tough to know what to say...
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