Smilow Cares Survivorship Education Series: "Caring for Yourself After A Diagnosis of Breast Cancer"
July 02, 2025June 12, 2025
Presented by Melanie Lynch, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery (Surgical Oncology); Director of Breast Surgery at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Bridgeport, Fairfield, and Trumbull
Information
- ID
- 13278
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- DCA Citation Guide
Transcript
- 00:01Welcome for welcome for joining
- 00:03us. Welcome,
- 00:04tonight. And we're so grateful
- 00:06to,
- 00:07Valerie Cassella,
- 00:09who is, one of our
- 00:10nurse leaders,
- 00:12and really the heart of
- 00:13the Norma Freme Breast Center
- 00:15here in
- 00:17Trumbull for organizing this cancer
- 00:20survivorship
- 00:20series.
- 00:21She is, very connected to
- 00:24our patients and has,
- 00:26been for quite some time.
- 00:28And she asked me tonight
- 00:29to talk about,
- 00:31caring for yourself after a
- 00:33diagnosis of breast cancer.
- 00:44So when we think about
- 00:45breast cancer incidence and survivorship,
- 00:48we really think about the
- 00:49phases of care, the experience
- 00:51of women as, they are
- 00:53screened for, diagnosed, or treated
- 00:54for breast cancer.
- 00:57This is,
- 00:59the cancer survivorship
- 01:00continuum as
- 01:02defined in the,
- 01:04National Academy
- 01:05of Medicine report, delivering high
- 01:07quality cancer care that was
- 01:08published initially in twenty thirteen.
- 01:11But this cancer continuum really
- 01:14has come to define,
- 01:16both how we do research
- 01:17into,
- 01:19cancer,
- 01:20types and also how would
- 01:21we think about, treatment.
- 01:23And so tonight, we're gonna
- 01:24focus on this,
- 01:26divide our talk up based
- 01:27upon this,
- 01:29cancer survivorship
- 01:30continuum.
- 01:36Breast cancer is the most
- 01:37common cancer of women in
- 01:38the United States, accounting for
- 01:40about thirty percent of all
- 01:41cancers in women.
- 01:47In twenty twenty five, we
- 01:48estimate there will be three
- 01:49hundred and sixteen
- 01:51thousand cases of invasive breast
- 01:53cancer in the United States,
- 01:56and with a relative five
- 01:58year survival of over ninety
- 02:00percent.
- 02:01So breast cancer
- 02:03is a very curable
- 02:05cancer.
- 02:07This graph,
- 02:09demonstrates
- 02:09the rates of breast cancer,
- 02:12over time,
- 02:14where they have held relatively
- 02:16stable
- 02:17and breast cancer mortality,
- 02:19which continues
- 02:20to decrease.
- 02:22And the difference between our
- 02:24rates of incidence and mortality
- 02:26is the success of our
- 02:28our screening treatment and,
- 02:31cure.
- 02:36Again, breast cancer survival,
- 02:38when you take all comers,
- 02:39is greater than ninety percent.
- 02:42It's great to see it
- 02:43graphically,
- 02:44to know that most women
- 02:46with breast cancer,
- 02:48will,
- 02:50achieve a cure.
- 02:55We know that the likelihood
- 02:57of cure is really related
- 02:58to breath, stage at diagnosis.
- 03:01And women who are diagnosed
- 03:03with early stage
- 03:05localized disease
- 03:07have very high rates of
- 03:09long term survival.
- 03:11Regional disease, which would include
- 03:13lymph positive lymph nodes, also
- 03:15have a high rate of
- 03:16cure.
- 03:17And then women with metastatic
- 03:19disease or distant disease,
- 03:22have lower rates of,
- 03:24long term survival.
- 03:30And, again, just another way
- 03:31of looking at,
- 03:33this relative success that we
- 03:35have with breast cancer screening,
- 03:37we know that sixty four
- 03:39percent of women are diagnosed
- 03:41with localized or early stage
- 03:43disease.
- 03:44Another twenty eight percent was
- 03:45spread to regional lymph nodes.
- 03:48And this group, the majority
- 03:50of that pie graph are
- 03:51the women who have,
- 03:53the highest rates of survival,
- 03:55averaging at ninety percent.
- 04:03This is one of a
- 04:04number of studies that have
- 04:05looked at the experience of
- 04:07breast cancer,
- 04:08screening
- 04:09on breast cancer survival.
- 04:12And in this graph, you
- 04:13can see in the top
- 04:14line here that women who
- 04:16undergo regular breast cancer screening
- 04:19have a ninety percent survival.
- 04:22These women who are diagnosed
- 04:23at the earliest possible stage.
- 04:26The next line with the
- 04:27green triangles
- 04:29are women who develop
- 04:31cancer
- 04:32in between their screening intervals.
- 04:34So these are typical
- 04:36typically more aggressive or faster
- 04:38moving tumors that will where
- 04:40women will develop symptoms in
- 04:42the year after a normal
- 04:44screening mammogram.
- 04:47The orange line at the
- 04:49bottom here are women who
- 04:50have never undergone screening.
- 04:53So, again, this is more
- 04:54evidence
- 04:55that the of the value
- 04:57of screening mammography,
- 04:59for to,
- 05:01diagnose women at the earliest
- 05:02possible stage and to ensure
- 05:05the best outcomes.
- 05:09So when we think about
- 05:10how to care for yourself
- 05:11with breast cancer, it's about
- 05:13caring for yourself before we're
- 05:15even diagnosed.
- 05:16And that is making sure,
- 05:19that we're all getting annual
- 05:21screening mammograms
- 05:22and also having regular breast
- 05:25self exams
- 05:26and an annual clinical breast
- 05:28exam with our physician.
- 05:35Once we have screening, imaging,
- 05:36and have an abnormality,
- 05:39most women will then undergo,
- 05:42diagnostic
- 05:43image guided biopsy.
- 05:47The standard of care, of
- 05:48course, is to have a
- 05:49biopsy before
- 05:51any surgery is completed.
- 05:53An image guided biopsy can
- 05:55be completed under ultrasound guidance,
- 05:57mammogram guidance, or MRI guidance
- 06:00if MRI was used as
- 06:02part of the screening plan.
- 06:09And then after a biopsy,
- 06:10there will be a pathology
- 06:11report.
- 06:13In the pathology report, the
- 06:15type of tumor will be
- 06:16described
- 06:17along with the tumor grade.
- 06:21Grade one is the best
- 06:22differentiated,
- 06:24the most normal looking cells.
- 06:26Grade two, they start to
- 06:28appear a little more abnormal.
- 06:29And grade three
- 06:31are the most abnormal appearing
- 06:33cells.
- 06:34Grade three tumors are faster
- 06:36growing
- 06:37and tend to be,
- 06:40of a more,
- 06:41aggressive,
- 06:43type requiring more therapy.
- 06:46Also in the pathology report
- 06:48will be the breast cancer,
- 06:51receptors or biomarkers.
- 06:53These receptors on the cell
- 06:55surface determine what's,
- 06:58what will control the cell's
- 07:00growth.
- 07:01There are three receptors that
- 07:02we evaluate.
- 07:04The estrogen receptor and progesterone
- 07:06receptor are the female hormones.
- 07:09The other receptor is called
- 07:11HER2,
- 07:12which is a marker of
- 07:13a very specific cancer that
- 07:15we treat with targeted molecular
- 07:18therapy.
- 07:22And so the breast cancer
- 07:24stage
- 07:25is determined by a combination
- 07:27of factors.
- 07:29It includes
- 07:30the estimate of the tumor
- 07:31size,
- 07:32based on the imaging findings
- 07:34and the physical exam.
- 07:36The lymph node status,
- 07:39also determined based upon physical
- 07:41exam and the imaging findings.
- 07:45We will look for metastatic
- 07:46disease if anyone has if
- 07:48a patient has a symptom.
- 07:50Otherwise, there's usually not a
- 07:52reason to do,
- 07:54scans for metastases
- 07:56elsewhere in the body,
- 07:58at the time of diagnosis.
- 08:01Then we look at the
- 08:02tumor biomarkers, the receptors of
- 08:04the estrogen,
- 08:05progesterone,
- 08:06and HER2 receptor,
- 08:08and the tumor grade.
- 08:10These are all then put
- 08:12together
- 08:13to determine the tumor stage.
- 08:20So once you've been through
- 08:21screening
- 08:22and imaging and have a
- 08:24diagnosis
- 08:25of breast cancer,
- 08:27it's time to gather your
- 08:28team
- 08:29to then identify your sources
- 08:31of social support,
- 08:33to help walk you through
- 08:35the process,
- 08:36of breast cancer treatment and
- 08:38into survivorship.
- 08:42Your team might include family
- 08:44members,
- 08:45friends,
- 08:46spiritual advisors.
- 08:48It could be coworkers,
- 08:50supervisors, or mentors.
- 08:52Can include your health care
- 08:54providers,
- 08:56patient advocates,
- 08:58other cancer survivors,
- 09:00support group members.
- 09:02I included this picture from
- 09:04when I was treated for
- 09:05breast cancer
- 09:06in twenty sixteen.
- 09:08This is as I'm getting
- 09:09ready to roll back to
- 09:10the operating room, and my
- 09:12daughters
- 09:13my daughters, my son, my
- 09:15sister were all there with
- 09:16me on that day.
- 09:18This is my daughter, Eleanor.
- 09:25The benefits of social support
- 09:26and breast cancer treatment and
- 09:28outcomes are are very well
- 09:29documented.
- 09:31Several studies have looked at
- 09:32different types of social support
- 09:34and the benefits that they
- 09:35offer.
- 09:38Social support is clearly
- 09:40linked to reduce anxiety and
- 09:43stress,
- 09:45reduced fatigue,
- 09:46and reduced experience of pain.
- 09:50Social support is also linked
- 09:51to improved ability
- 09:53to, cope for feelings of
- 09:55control,
- 09:57improved mood, self image, and
- 09:59sexual function.
- 10:01And social support has a
- 10:03long term association with improved
- 10:05physical well-being
- 10:06and ability to perform daily
- 10:08tasks.
- 10:14So consider all the help
- 10:15that is available,
- 10:17to provide support as you
- 10:18go through treatment planning and
- 10:21treatment and survivorship for breast
- 10:22cancer.
- 10:24The kinds of help that
- 10:25are available can come from
- 10:26family and friends,
- 10:28can come from a patient
- 10:29navigator.
- 10:30We have on-site patient navigators
- 10:33in all of our treatment
- 10:34sites, but there are also
- 10:35patient navigators that are available
- 10:37from national organizations including,
- 10:41organizations like the Susan Komen
- 10:43Foundation where they have navigators
- 10:45available,
- 10:47for consultation at their website.
- 10:51It's always important to consider
- 10:52the cost of cancer treatment
- 10:54and and,
- 10:56other opportunities for support include
- 10:58a financial counselor.
- 11:00It could be a physical
- 11:01therapist,
- 11:02fertility specialist,
- 11:04a physical trainer,
- 11:05a massage therapist,
- 11:07support with house cleaning and
- 11:09childcare,
- 11:10acupuncture, music therapy, and other
- 11:12integrative mental therapies.
- 11:15Most important thing is to
- 11:16be willing to ask for
- 11:18help.
- 11:25And so after you've,
- 11:28gathered your team and identified
- 11:30social support,
- 11:32then you move into the
- 11:33phase of shared decision making
- 11:35or making a treatment plan.
- 11:41I'm gonna stop my share
- 11:42for just a minute
- 11:44and see if there are
- 11:45any questions.
- 11:47I'm looking at the chat.
- 11:50I don't see any chats
- 11:52yet. Any questions in the
- 11:53chat yet?
- 11:57So if there are any
- 11:58questions, don't hesitate to put
- 11:59them in the chat. I'm
- 12:00gonna go back to
- 12:02to sharing my screen.
- 12:10Okay.
- 12:22So we know that multidisciplinary
- 12:25care is associated with improved
- 12:28outcomes in breast cancer treatment.
- 12:31Multidisciplinary
- 12:32care
- 12:33includes a coordinated
- 12:35team
- 12:36of professionals,
- 12:38dedicated to the treatment of
- 12:39women with breast cancer.
- 12:42The multidisciplinary
- 12:43team can include a breast
- 12:45surgeon, a a medical oncologist,
- 12:47a radiation oncologist,
- 12:49a pathologist,
- 12:52a breast radiologist,
- 12:53a patient navigator,
- 12:55our out outpatient clinical nurses,
- 12:58and all the supportive services
- 13:00that we just discussed.
- 13:03The improved outcomes associated with
- 13:05a multidisciplinary
- 13:06team include improved time to
- 13:09treatment,
- 13:11the receipt of guideline,
- 13:13concordant treatment,
- 13:15improved patient satisfaction,
- 13:18and improved overall survival.
- 13:27And at the heart of
- 13:28the multidisciplinary
- 13:29team and that model
- 13:31is shared decision making.
- 13:34For every treatment
- 13:36that is provided,
- 13:38it is a decision that
- 13:40is made in in,
- 13:44a shared format
- 13:46amongst providers,
- 13:48patients,
- 13:49and their support, whether it's
- 13:50their family or their friends.
- 13:53So the patient and family's
- 13:55goals and preferences,
- 13:57that provider's clinical experience and
- 14:00expertise,
- 14:02what science has to offer,
- 14:06in terms of making a
- 14:07treatment,
- 14:08choice,
- 14:10And then the biological,
- 14:11psychological,
- 14:12and social context.
- 14:14Things like
- 14:15where you live, what resources
- 14:17are available,
- 14:18how old the patient is.
- 14:23Those will all come into
- 14:24play as we make a
- 14:25decision,
- 14:27in a shared way as
- 14:29a team.
- 14:33In this context, you'll make
- 14:35a treatment plan. And the
- 14:37treatment plan for breast cancer
- 14:38includes both local regional treatment,
- 14:41managing the cancer in the
- 14:42body where it is.
- 14:44Systemic treatment,
- 14:46preventing the development of cancer
- 14:48elsewhere in the body.
- 14:50It will include a consideration
- 14:52of genetic counseling and testing
- 14:55and fertility preservation.
- 15:02Local regional treatment can include
- 15:05breast conservation,
- 15:06which could be a lumpectomy
- 15:08or a partial mastectomy removing
- 15:10the area where the cancer
- 15:11is with a clear margin
- 15:13or a total mastectomy removing
- 15:15all of the breast tissue.
- 15:19The lymph node surgery might
- 15:20include simple lymph node sampling
- 15:23or an axillary dissection where
- 15:25all the lymph nodes from
- 15:26underneath the arm are removed.
- 15:29Increasingly,
- 15:30our lymph node surgery may
- 15:32be no lymph node surgery
- 15:33needed at all.
- 15:38Part of breast conservation is
- 15:40the use of radiation therapy
- 15:42after lumpectomy
- 15:44to help reduce the risk
- 15:46for local recurrence.
- 15:52Systemic therapies,
- 15:55could include hormone therapy, which
- 15:56are estrogen blockers.
- 15:59These are drugs like tamoxifen
- 16:00or anastrozole.
- 16:02Targeted therapies that include monoclonal
- 16:04antibodies like trastuzumab
- 16:06for HER2 positive cancer,
- 16:10a new class of drugs
- 16:11called tyrosine kinase inhibitors,
- 16:14cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors,
- 16:17immunotherapy,
- 16:19or or standard chemotherapy
- 16:21agents like cyclophosphamide
- 16:23or taxider.
- 16:29So once you've brought together
- 16:31the multi your you've identified
- 16:33your social support, you've brought
- 16:35together your multidisciplinary
- 16:36team,
- 16:37and through shared decision making,
- 16:39you've put in place a
- 16:40treatment plan
- 16:42to begin treatment for breast
- 16:43cancer.
- 16:44That may be surgery as
- 16:46the first course of treatment
- 16:47or it may be systemic
- 16:48therapies as the first course
- 16:50of treatment.
- 16:51As you go through treatment,
- 16:54a big part of self
- 16:55care is managing the symptoms
- 16:58related to treatment.
- 17:03I'm gonna stop for a
- 17:04minute. I see there's a
- 17:05question in the chat.
- 17:09Can you talk more about
- 17:10systemic therapies and when they
- 17:12might be useful or appropriate?
- 17:14Happy to.
- 17:16Systemic therapies will be recommended
- 17:19for every
- 17:21breast cancer treatment plan. There
- 17:23will not be a time
- 17:25when we don't recommend some
- 17:26systemic therapy for an invasive
- 17:28breast cancer.
- 17:30The only time we would
- 17:31not necessarily
- 17:32recommend
- 17:34systemic therapy might be for
- 17:35ductal carcinoma in situ, which
- 17:37is noninvasive
- 17:38disease.
- 17:40The systemic therapies will be,
- 17:43tailored to the stage of
- 17:45the disease
- 17:46and the biology of the
- 17:48tumor.
- 17:49And so for early stage
- 17:51estrogen receptor positive,
- 17:53cancer,
- 17:54we might recommend
- 17:55estrogen blocking therapy, a drug
- 17:57like Tamoxifen.
- 18:00For a HER2 positive
- 18:02cancer,
- 18:02we would recommend
- 18:04if the tumor is bigger
- 18:05than five millimeters, we would
- 18:07recommend
- 18:07chemotherapy
- 18:09that would include
- 18:10HER2 targeted antibodies.
- 18:13And so, the the systemic
- 18:16therapy would be recommended for
- 18:18every invasive breast cancer,
- 18:20and then the type of
- 18:21therapy is really tailored to
- 18:23the stage of the disease
- 18:24and the biology of the
- 18:25tumor.
- 18:27Happy to talk more about
- 18:28that or answer more questions.
- 18:34I'm gonna move on to
- 18:35symptom management.
- 18:37And so self care during
- 18:38treatment is really about managing
- 18:41the symptoms related to the
- 18:43treatment.
- 18:44These symptoms really focus on,
- 18:48pain,
- 18:49anxiety,
- 18:50nausea,
- 18:52insomnia,
- 18:54constipation,
- 18:55and fatigue.
- 19:01Based upon the system a
- 19:02systematic review of the literature,
- 19:04the Society for Integrative Oncology
- 19:06recommends integrative therapies that can
- 19:09help you manage those symptoms.
- 19:11As you are go through
- 19:13treatment, your provider,
- 19:14whether it's your medical oncologist
- 19:16or your surgeon or your
- 19:17radiation oncologist,
- 19:19will,
- 19:20have recommendations
- 19:21and provide support
- 19:23for symptoms related to treatment.
- 19:25These are additional integrative,
- 19:28therapies that can be considered
- 19:29for symptom management.
- 19:31For pain, you might consider
- 19:33acupuncture,
- 19:35reiki, or hypnosis.
- 19:36This is in addition
- 19:38to pain,
- 19:39therapies that might be prescribed
- 19:41by your providers.
- 19:43For anxiety,
- 19:45there is evidence that supports
- 19:46the use of music therapy,
- 19:48meditation,
- 19:49stress management techniques, and yoga.
- 19:53Nausea
- 19:54can be also managed with
- 19:55acupuncture
- 19:56and yoga.
- 19:59Insomnia,
- 20:00which I hear
- 20:01a lot about from patients,
- 20:03can be managed with sleep
- 20:04hygiene techniques and yoga.
- 20:07Yoga is good for just
- 20:08about all of it.
- 20:10Constipation
- 20:11can be managed with brachy
- 20:12and acupuncture as well.
- 20:15Fatigue
- 20:17is best managed with exercise.
- 20:19I know that seems counterintuitive
- 20:21that when you're most fatigued
- 20:23that exercise can help, but,
- 20:25the data on that's very
- 20:26clear.
- 20:28For depression or depressed mood,
- 20:30meditation, relaxation,
- 20:32yoga, massage, and music therapy
- 20:34are effective.
- 20:36And for neuropathy,
- 20:38acupuncture can be helpful.
- 20:46So now that we've talked
- 20:48a little bit about,
- 20:49symptom management
- 20:52during treatment,
- 20:53I wanna talk up now
- 20:55about breast cancer survivorship.
- 21:00The National Cancer Institute
- 21:02has defined breast cancer survivorship
- 21:04or breast cancer survivors
- 21:06as individuals,
- 21:08from the time of diagnosis
- 21:11through the balance of their
- 21:12lives.
- 21:14So two years after I
- 21:15was treated for breast cancer,
- 21:17my daughter and I did
- 21:18a backpacking trip,
- 21:20in in the Alps in
- 21:22Europe.
- 21:23This was to celebrate my
- 21:25survivorship and her thirtieth birthday,
- 21:27and this is a photo
- 21:29from,
- 21:31a part of that backpacking
- 21:32trip.
- 21:38And so what are the
- 21:39components of breast cancer survivorship
- 21:41care?
- 21:42There are four key components
- 21:44of every survivorship
- 21:46visit.
- 21:47Survivorship
- 21:48really starts at the end
- 21:49of active treatment
- 21:51and extends for
- 21:52five years.
- 21:55The components of survivorship
- 21:57care include
- 21:59monitoring for breast cancer recurrence,
- 22:02monitoring for the late effects
- 22:03of treatment,
- 22:06supporting adherence to ongoing treatments,
- 22:09and health promotion.
- 22:14And just take a quick
- 22:15look at the chat and
- 22:16see if there are any
- 22:17other questions. Okay.
- 22:23So I'm
- 22:27I'm showing you the National
- 22:29Cancer Center Network guidelines for
- 22:31survivorship care.
- 22:33These are the guidelines for
- 22:34best practice
- 22:36that,
- 22:38define,
- 22:41what we do and how
- 22:42we provide survivorship care.
- 22:45This these guidelines are developed
- 22:47by an expert panel
- 22:49based upon review of the
- 22:51available scientific literature.
- 22:54And so, again, just to
- 22:55reiterate,
- 22:57the
- 22:58cancer survivorship
- 22:59focuses on
- 23:00surveillance for cancer spread or
- 23:02recurrence
- 23:04and screening, for subsequent primary
- 23:06cancers.
- 23:08Monitoring
- 23:09for the long term effects
- 23:10of cancer
- 23:12including psychosocial,
- 23:13physical, and immunologic
- 23:15effects
- 23:16of the cancer itself,
- 23:19the prevention and detection of
- 23:20the late effects of cancer
- 23:22and cancer therapy.
- 23:24I see there's a question
- 23:25in the chat of what
- 23:26do you consider the late
- 23:27effects of treatment.
- 23:28We're gonna jump into that
- 23:29now. But with regards to
- 23:31breast cancer, this can,
- 23:33include neuropathy related to chemotherapy,
- 23:37lymphedema
- 23:38related to surgery and radiation,
- 23:41depression
- 23:42related to the trauma of
- 23:44cancer treatment.
- 23:46These would all be considered
- 23:47late effects.
- 23:51Evaluation management of cancer related
- 23:53syndromes,
- 23:55coordination of care with a
- 23:57primary care provider,
- 23:59to ensure all,
- 24:02breast cancer survivors,
- 24:03health needs are met,
- 24:05and planning for ongoing survivorship
- 24:08care.
- 24:14So in monitoring for breast
- 24:16cancer recurrence,
- 24:18we can talk about,
- 24:20screening for local recurrence.
- 24:22Many women ask, don't I
- 24:24need a mammogram more often?
- 24:26And,
- 24:27the answer is no.
- 24:29Screening afterwards
- 24:31is at,
- 24:33annual mammogram is is adequate.
- 24:37A clinical exam though is
- 24:39equally, if not more important
- 24:41than screening imaging.
- 24:43The clinical exam, it would
- 24:45include a clinical breast exam
- 24:47if there's been breast conservation,
- 24:49an exam of the mastectomy
- 24:51site and the reconstruction.
- 24:53And those should occur at
- 24:54six month intervals for five
- 24:56years.
- 24:57Screening imaging can include a
- 24:59mammogram and an ultrasound or
- 25:01mammogram alone depending on if
- 25:03you, have had breast conservation
- 25:05or not.
- 25:07For young women or women
- 25:08with dense breasts who have
- 25:09breast conservation, we might recommend
- 25:11screening with a breast MRI.
- 25:13That screening plan will be
- 25:15tailored to every patient.
- 25:17We also look to monitor
- 25:19for symptoms and signs of
- 25:20a dis of distant recurrence
- 25:23that's done with clinical history
- 25:25and exam
- 25:26and screening imaging only when
- 25:28appropriate.
- 25:35Our evaluation for the late
- 25:37effects of treatment are really
- 25:38specific to the cancer stage,
- 25:40the tumor biology, and the
- 25:41treatments that have been received.
- 25:43And these can might include
- 25:46clinical exam,
- 25:47labs,
- 25:48testing,
- 25:51or imaging.
- 25:56So this, monitoring for,
- 25:59the
- 26:00late effects of treatment and
- 26:02for recurrence is complex,
- 26:04and this is an example
- 26:06of a rubric that we
- 26:07would use.
- 26:09This one is the one
- 26:10that is recommended by the
- 26:12National Cancer Center Network
- 26:14for monitoring cancer survivors and
- 26:16for evaluating for symptoms,
- 26:20related to treatment,
- 26:21cancer effects and treatment effects.
- 26:25They include monitoring
- 26:26for cardiac health,
- 26:28anxiety, depression, and trauma,
- 26:32cognitive function,
- 26:34fatigue,
- 26:36lymphedema,
- 26:38pain,
- 26:40hormone related symptoms,
- 26:43sexual health,
- 26:45fertility,
- 26:46sleep disorders,
- 26:49monitoring for a healthy lifestyle,
- 26:52immunizations
- 26:53and infections,
- 26:55and employment, and return to
- 26:57work.
- 27:04Here's an example of a
- 27:06fatigue assessment.
- 27:07And so
- 27:09the kinds of things that
- 27:10we can do when patients
- 27:11report fatigue,
- 27:13it would include a history
- 27:15and physical exam, an evaluation
- 27:17of disease status,
- 27:19looking at contributing factors to
- 27:21fatigue,
- 27:23screening for emotional distress and
- 27:25sleep disturbance,
- 27:27a laboratory evaluation, and other
- 27:29diagnostic testing
- 27:31to help sort out of
- 27:32the issues that related to
- 27:35long term fatigue.
- 27:39Here's another example
- 27:41of the evaluation for lymphedema.
- 27:43We're gonna talk a little
- 27:44bit more about this.
- 27:47Women who have axillary surgery
- 27:49have,
- 27:50a ten percent,
- 27:52risk of lymphedema
- 27:54if, they have sentinel lymph
- 27:55node biopsy only. It can
- 27:57be up to a thirty
- 27:58percent risk for lymphedema
- 28:00for women who have, axillary
- 28:02dissection.
- 28:04And so screening and,
- 28:07for lymphedema
- 28:08is an important part of
- 28:09what we do at survivorship
- 28:11follow-up visits.
- 28:12Once we identify a concern,
- 28:15we have ways of working
- 28:16it up and then
- 28:19referring,
- 28:20for treatment
- 28:21that includes both
- 28:23specialized physical therapy,
- 28:25wearing a compression sleeve,
- 28:27or possibly even reconstructive
- 28:29surgery.
- 28:33Lymphedema can be associated with
- 28:35any axillary surgery.
- 28:39The risk of lymphedema
- 28:41increases,
- 28:42with the extent of surgery
- 28:45with, related to obesity,
- 28:47diabetes,
- 28:48someone who's smoking,
- 28:50someone who has a history
- 28:51of preexisting lymphedema,
- 28:53and for patients who receive
- 28:55radiation therapy.
- 28:57The important thing to know
- 28:58is that the most common
- 28:59time to develop lymphedema is
- 29:01eighteen months after the initial
- 29:02operation. Lymphedema
- 29:04often does not happen right
- 29:06away.
- 29:07Lymphedema can occur in stages
- 29:11where the arm only appears
- 29:12mildly swollen, maybe rings don't
- 29:14fit on fingers or watch
- 29:16leaves an impression.
- 29:18Stage two, lymphedema
- 29:21is,
- 29:22managed
- 29:23easily with elevation.
- 29:27And then stage three is
- 29:28when permanent swelling develops.
- 29:32Stage four lymphedema
- 29:33can be associated with significant
- 29:35skin changes.
- 29:42So screening for lymphedema
- 29:44can include
- 29:45physical exam,
- 29:47monitoring of symptoms,
- 29:49limb measurements,
- 29:51or the use of bioimpedance,
- 29:52which is what we use
- 29:53in our practice here.
- 29:55Bioimpedance
- 29:56is,
- 29:58using a small electric current
- 30:00and looking at resistance to
- 30:02flow of that electric current.
- 30:04If we see that change
- 30:05over time, we know that
- 30:06patients are developing lymphedema
- 30:08and we may be able
- 30:09to identify lymphedema
- 30:11before patients ever have symptoms.
- 30:15Treatment for lymphedema as we,
- 30:17you know, mentioned includes physical
- 30:19therapy with a specially trained
- 30:21lymphedema therapist and wearing a
- 30:23compression sleeve.
- 30:25More severe lymphedema can be
- 30:26treated with a a lymphedema
- 30:28pump or with wraps.
- 30:36So now that we've talked
- 30:37a little bit about survivorship,
- 30:39which is a huge complex
- 30:40topic, we can talk,
- 30:42move on to the five
- 30:43things that we can all
- 30:45do every day
- 30:47to help reduce our risk
- 30:49of cancer recurrence.
- 30:55So our survivorship healthy habits
- 30:57are five things that we
- 30:58can do.
- 31:00Number one is a plant
- 31:01based diet.
- 31:02Number two, limit alcohol.
- 31:05Number three, maintain a lean
- 31:07body mass.
- 31:08Number four is regular exercise.
- 31:11And number five is smoking
- 31:13cessation.
- 31:17So the plant based diet,
- 31:20this is really a Mediterranean
- 31:22diet
- 31:23focusing on fresh fruits and
- 31:24vegetables,
- 31:25at least five servings a
- 31:28day,
- 31:30healthy grains,
- 31:32and healthy proteins.
- 31:35So we know that,
- 31:37one of the sources of
- 31:38estrogen in our diet comes
- 31:40through
- 31:40meat and dairy.
- 31:42And so making sure that
- 31:43we limit that.
- 31:45And when we have meat
- 31:46or dairy that it's,
- 31:48not treated with hormones.
- 31:52The American Institute for Cancer
- 31:54Research
- 31:55is the most authoritative
- 31:57website
- 31:59on cancer risk and nutrition.
- 32:01It has a
- 32:03wonderful,
- 32:06resource for
- 32:08how to set up your
- 32:09kitchen,
- 32:11for recipes,
- 32:12for cooking classes.
- 32:15They currently have the Healthy
- 32:16Ten Challenge, which is this
- 32:18ten week interactive program,
- 32:20to kind of help build
- 32:21healthier habits around nutrition
- 32:24and everyday diet that is
- 32:27simple,
- 32:28and easy to achieve.
- 32:31This is really the the
- 32:32best and most authoritative
- 32:34resource,
- 32:35for nutrition and cancer.
- 32:41Limiting alcohol is also essential
- 32:44for, cancer risk reduction.
- 32:46The nurses health study found
- 32:48a seventy percent increase in
- 32:49breast cancer
- 32:51among women who reported more
- 32:53than three alcoholic drinks per
- 32:55week.
- 32:56The,
- 32:57most recent Surgeon General's report
- 33:00has a really identified that
- 33:01there's no level of alcohol
- 33:03consumption that was not associated
- 33:05with an increased cancer risk.
- 33:08We know that alcohol consumption
- 33:10is associated with an increase
- 33:11in circulating estrogen levels which
- 33:14is a risk factor for
- 33:15estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
- 33:19And so,
- 33:20there is really
- 33:23no
- 33:24safe level of alcohol.
- 33:26We know that,
- 33:28keeping alcohol consumption to less
- 33:30than three drinks per week,
- 33:32should help reduce your risk
- 33:34of both
- 33:36developing breast cancer and breast
- 33:37cancer recurrence.
- 33:44Regular exercise. This could be
- 33:46a talk
- 33:47in and of itself.
- 33:48I'm
- 33:50actually I'm seeing a a
- 33:52question in the chat. How
- 33:53about fish and seafood?
- 33:56So fish and seafood is
- 33:57an excellent source of protein
- 33:59with not a significant cancer
- 34:01risk associated with it.
- 34:07There's always this question about
- 34:09sugar and cancer. Does sugar
- 34:12feed cancer?
- 34:13We can't say that it's
- 34:15sugar by itself,
- 34:17but we know it's excess
- 34:18calories,
- 34:19that can be associated with
- 34:21cancer risk.
- 34:22And so making sure that
- 34:24food is, has nutrients and
- 34:26as few calories as possible
- 34:28as in fruits and vegetables
- 34:30that can be,
- 34:32most associated with cancer risk
- 34:34reduction.
- 34:37And I promise at the
- 34:38end, I'll go back to
- 34:39the,
- 34:40AICR,
- 34:42information in that link, the
- 34:43American Institute for Cancer Research.
- 34:49With regards to exercise in
- 34:50cancer, there are I could
- 34:52talk about that for quite
- 34:53a while. So I just
- 34:54wanted to,
- 34:56summarize in one slide
- 34:58that there are several
- 34:59large
- 35:00multicenter trials
- 35:02that have demonstrate the benefit
- 35:03of regular exercise
- 35:05and reduction of risk for
- 35:06developing breast cancer
- 35:08and for the prevention of
- 35:10breast cancer
- 35:11recurrence.
- 35:12Current recommendations
- 35:14is for at least thirty
- 35:15minutes of exercise
- 35:17five times a week.
- 35:20The most recent large trial
- 35:22in colon cancer that was
- 35:23in the New England Journal
- 35:24of Medicine just this month
- 35:26found that a combination
- 35:28of both aerobic and
- 35:30exercise and weight training
- 35:33was the most effective in
- 35:35preventing preventing cancer recurrence in
- 35:37patients with colon cancer.
- 35:41So we just can't emphasize
- 35:42enough the importance of regular
- 35:44exercise
- 35:46in cancer survivorship.
- 35:48I'm not great at this
- 35:50myself, so I have
- 35:51to improve my habits there.
- 35:56The next is maintain a
- 35:57lean body mass.
- 35:59So increased body mass index
- 36:01is associated with the increased
- 36:03risk of cancer
- 36:04recurrence and mortality in several
- 36:06large epidemiologic
- 36:08studies.
- 36:09The increase in mortality ranges
- 36:11from thirty to seventy percent
- 36:13in most studies.
- 36:15Increased BMI is also associated
- 36:17with the increased risk of
- 36:19developing breast cancer,
- 36:21but really for postmenopausal
- 36:22women only.
- 36:24In studies that have been
- 36:25done in cancer risk in
- 36:26premenopausal
- 36:27women, BMI or
- 36:29body mass index does not
- 36:31seem to play as important
- 36:32a factor as in postmenopausal
- 36:34women.
- 36:36The current recommendation is to
- 36:37maintain a healthy weight with
- 36:39a BMI less than thirty.
- 36:45And at last, smoking cessation,
- 36:47which I'm not gonna say
- 36:47a lot about. We do
- 36:49have smoking cessation programs that
- 36:51we refer patients to and
- 36:52and other resources that are
- 36:54available through the American Cancer
- 36:55Institute for smoking cessation.
- 37:02And so here are a
- 37:03list of survivorship resources that
- 37:05are available,
- 37:08for cancer survivors and for
- 37:10health care professionals.
- 37:11This is all available,
- 37:13through patient,
- 37:16resources
- 37:16from the National Cancer Center
- 37:18Network.
- 37:20The website for the AICR
- 37:23is here, the American Institute
- 37:25for Cancer Research,
- 37:28which,
- 37:29again, I think is is
- 37:31a very well designed and
- 37:32very authoritative
- 37:33site for information on nutrition,
- 37:36and weight management in cancer.
- 37:39The American Cancer Society,
- 37:42has wonderful resources available,
- 37:45as well as all of
- 37:46these other
- 37:47organizations
- 37:48including Livestrong.
- 37:56So caring for yourself after
- 37:57a breast cancer diagnosis.
- 37:59It starts before you're diagnosed
- 38:02with an annual screening mammogram
- 38:05and, self exam and clinical
- 38:07exam to make sure cancer
- 38:08is diagnosed at its earliest
- 38:10possible stage.
- 38:11Once you have a cancer
- 38:12diagnosis,
- 38:13gathering your team and developing
- 38:15your resources for social support.
- 38:19Then
- 38:20identifying your clinical team
- 38:22and developing a treatment plan
- 38:25with shared
- 38:26decision making,
- 38:28managing the symptoms
- 38:30of cancer,
- 38:31treatments as you're going through
- 38:33active treatment,
- 38:35And then survivorship care, which
- 38:37we we discussed
- 38:38including monitoring for recurrence and
- 38:41the late effects of treatment.
- 38:43And then the five things
- 38:44that you can do every
- 38:45day to help reduce your
- 38:47risk of cancer recurrence.
- 38:49I've been talking for a
- 38:50while.
- 38:51I'm gonna stop and see
- 38:52if there any other comments
- 38:53or questions. I'm seeing everybody
- 38:55in the chat. I'm gonna
- 38:56stop my share.
- 39:20I have to say, my
- 39:21family have been some of
- 39:22my best advocates as I
- 39:24have
- 39:25gone through my treatment for
- 39:27breast cancer in in my
- 39:28survivorship.
- 39:32And I feel very fortunate
- 39:34that I, I have such
- 39:35engaged, loving family members.
- 39:59Wow.
- 40:02If there are no other
- 40:03questions,
- 40:05I think we will
- 40:07we'll end end this,
- 40:09and I really appreciate the
- 40:10opportunity to have this
- 40:12conversation tonight. And,
- 40:16hopefully, next year, we can
- 40:17can do something in in
- 40:19person.
- 40:21Again, thank you to Sally
- 40:22Cassella.
- 40:27Oh, yes.
- 40:29Danielle, thank you for mentioning,
- 40:32Thrive,
- 40:33which is a,
- 40:35organization
- 40:36that has been spearheaded by
- 40:38doctor Neil Fishback, one of
- 40:39our medical
- 40:40oncologists
- 40:41here,
- 40:42to provide
- 40:43a resource
- 40:44for cancer survivors in our
- 40:45community here in Trumbull.
- 40:49It,
- 40:50provides exercise classes,
- 40:52and a workout room
- 40:53and other support services, and
- 40:56it is it's a really
- 40:57dynamic
- 40:59engaging place. So thank you
- 41:01for mentioning that.