Tony Lambert delphine1939@videotron.ca

2 Nov. 2007

News
By Earl Bolender

Published: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 5:45 PM CDT

More than 100 women attended a "tea and teaching" party to learn more about the need for early breast cancer detection and treatment.

Four breast cancer awareness parties, presented by the Weed, Mount Shasta and McCloud community resource centers, Dunsmuir's Kids' Factory Family Resource Center and Mercy Medical Center, Mount Shasta, were held in conjunction with October Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In addition to tea and treats, the parties included a guest speaker from the medical profession who shared information on the second leading cause of cancer deaths for California women.

Peggy Manning, BS, RN, ONC, with the Mercy Regional Cancer Center in Redding and Mount Shasta, was the guest speaker during the final tea party held Friday at the Kids' Factory.

Manning told those in attendance that all women over the age of 20 should practice regularly monthly breast self-examinations.

"When do we start self-breast examinations?" Manning said. "When the breast stops developing. You should be looking for lumps and innormalities.

"If you are menstruating, you want do the examination when the breast is least tender," she said.
She said post-menopausal women should pick a day of the month that is familiar to them for their examination, so they won't forget.

"I use my birthday as the day for the examination," Manning said.

If your selected day falls on a Friday, plan on doing it a couple of days sooner," she said. "If you do it on Friday and detect something unusual, guess what. The doctor's office is closed on the weekends. You have two days of stress.

Choose Monday or Tuesday instead."

Women who are breast feeding should examine their breasts after all milk has been expressed, Manning said.

She said there is a myth that women who have breast implants will not develop cancer.

"That's absolutely false," Manning said. "Women who have breast implants need to do self examinations as well," she said.

The American Cancer Society reports that nine out of 10 women will not develop breast cancer and most breast changes are not cancerous.

"But, if you discover a lump or detect any changes, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible," Manning said. "It's probably nothing to worry about. But, the key is it is not nothing until the doctor says it's nothing. And, it's not something until the doctors says it is something."

In addition to self examinations, she said women should also have clinical breast examinations every three years from age 20 to 40 and on a yearly basis after 40.

"All women 40 and over should also receive a mammography on a yearly basis," Manning said.

All women can get breast cancer - even those who have no family history of the disease;

-- The two most important factors for breast cancer are being a woman and growing older;

-- Women diagnosed with early breast cancer, when the cancer is small and has not spread, have a high chance of surviving it.

-- Mammograms are the best way to find breast cancer early;

-- Women can reduce their chances of developing breast cancer by engaging in regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight and limiting alcohol intake; and

-- Through early detection and improved treatments, more women than ever are surviving breast cancer.