Power of Pink
October 2018
Celebrate the power of pink at Ladies’ Night Out Thursday, Oct. 25, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Grab your favorite girls and join us for Ladies’ Night Out, a women’s health event just for you. Browse a variety of local vendors and try the latest makeup trends, sample tasty appetizers and sip mocktails. Enjoy some pampering, tour our facility, enter to win fabulous prizes and walk home with a swag bag. Get your annual screening mammogram — no physician order is required for women age 40 and over with no prior breast health complication, and most insurances are accepted. Thursday, Oct. 25, 5:30 to 8 p.m. Novant Health UVA Health System Haymarket Medical Center — Outpatient Imaging 15195 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 110, Haymarket
For more event details, call 703-369-8073.
NHUVAImaging.com/gopink
© Novant Health, Inc. 2018
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POWER OF PINK | SURVIVING BREAST CANCER | OCTOBER 2018 | INSIDENOVA.COM
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Novant Health UVA Health System Hosts Ladies’ Night Out Shopping and beauty event raises breast cancer awareness, offers screenings In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Novant Health UVA Health System will host Ladies’ Night Out – a breast cancer awareness event designed for women to receive annual mammogram screenings, learn about breast health and enjoy relaxation activities and shopping Thursday, Oct. 25, at Novant Health UVA Health System Haymarket Medical Center. A Ladies’ Night Out event for women in the Manassas community was held Thursday, Oct. 18 at Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center. Attendees will have an opportunity to shop for jewelry and accessories, try the latest makeup trends, and sample appetizers and “mocktails.” Guests will also have a chance to receive complimentary pampering and win prizes. “At Novant Health UVA Health System, our commitment to expanding women’s health services and awareness of the importance of mammograms is year-round, not just in October,” said Stephen Smith, MD, president and COO of Prince William Medical Center and Haymarket Medical Center. “During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are proud to demonstrate our commitment to women’s health with the addition of 3D mammography now available at Prince William Medical Center.” Screening mammograms and 3D mammograms will be available at the Oct. 25 Ladies’ Night Out event. This lifesaving technology supports early detection of breast cancer for women and is new technology added at
and A1C, will also be available. “We are excited to offer women in our communities the opportunity to get their annual mammogram done in a relaxing environment and hopefully to reduce any fears associated with breast screening for some women,” said Heather Aram, vice president service line and ambulatory development, Novant Health UVA Health System. “These events create a friendly atmosphere for women to gather with friends, neighbors and family to shop, eat and be pampered, all while getting their screening mammograms.”
EVENT INFORMATION THURSDAY, OCT. 25 5:30 TO 8 P.M.
Novant Health UVA Health System Haymarket Medical Center Outpatient Imaging 15195 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 110, Haymarket, Va.
The Oct. 25 event at Haymarket Medical Center will showcase the Novant Health UVA Health System Mobile Mammography van for tours. Walk-ins are accepted, but women are encouraged to reserve a space for a screening mammogram. To make a reservation for either event, please call 703-369-8073 or visit www.nhuvaimaging.com/gopink.
Prince William Medical Center. No physician order is required for women 40 years of age and older with no prior breast health issues, and most insurance is
accepted. Financial assistance may be available for the uninsured and underinsured. Additional health screenings, including BMI, blood pressure
About Novant Health UVA Health System Novant Health UVA Health System is an integrated network of physician offices, outpatient centers and medical centers providing patients access to advanced, quality care delivered with a personal touch. Founded in 2016, the regional Health System is a partnership between Novant Health and UVA Health System that provides subspecialty care and groundbreaking clinical trials — with the support of UVA Health System — along with urgent and primary care in Virginia. Headquartered in Warrenton, Va., Novant Health UVA Health System is committed to providing quality care close to home. For more information, please visit our website at NovantHealthUVA.org. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about Novant Health, visit NovantHealth.org. To learn more about UVA Health System, visit UVAHealth.com.
INSIDENOVA.COM | OCTOBER 2018 | SURVIVING BREAST CANCER | POWER OF PINK
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BY LISA IANNUCCI CTW FEATURES
Simply being a woman puts you at a risk for breast cancer, and the older you get, the more that risk increases. It’s easy to feel powerless, but there are some things women can do to reduce their risk, but it depends on the factors at play. Here are 10 simple changes you can make in your everyday life starting right now that could reduce your breast cancer risk:
It’s the Little Things These 10 easy-to-implement tips could reduce your risk of breast cancer or a recurrence
1. A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK “Every woman should take the Gail Model assessment test (www.cancer. gov/bcrisktool), which measures your risk for breast cancer,” says Dr. Pedro Serrano-Ojeda, chief radiation oncologist and owner of Caribbean Radiation Oncology Center, Doral, Florida. “You will be asked eight questions and get your level of cancer risk. However, it doesn’t take into account obesity, which has surpassed the use of tobacco as a risk.” 2. EXERCISE Get off the couch and exercise, whether it’s a brisk walk around the block, a treadmill workout at the gym or a session of skating at the local roller rink. “Exercising three to five hours a week helps to decrease your risk of breast cancer by 40 percent, and if you’ve already had breast cancer it reduces your risk of reoccurrence by 60 percent,” says Dr. Ruth Lerman, a Beaumont Health internist specializing in breast health and disease and mind-body medicine in Michigan. According to the National Cancer Institute, there have been more than 60 studies about the connection between exercise and reducing the risk of breast cancer. While the benefits have been proven, how much risk it reduces varies in each study (from 20 to 80 percent). 3. LOSE WEIGHT “Overweight women have a decreased rate of breast cancer, but after menopause, getting to a normal weight actually decreases your risk of post-menopausal breast cancer,” Lerman says. 4. FIND PEACE According to the Foundation for Women’s Cancer, when your body is stressed, it makes stress hormones and these hormones bind with cancer cells. “Stress does a lot of damage to your body and it predisposes you to cancer,” Kirkland says. One study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in 2003, found that a master gene called ATF3, which helps cells adapt to stress, also could help cancer spread to other parts of the body. Find something that helps you to relax when life gets too stressful. Try meditation, walking or music. 5. DRINK IN MODERATION “Avoid high alcohol intake,” Dr. Serrano-Ojeda says. “There was a study published in the British Journal
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POWER OF PINK | SURVIVING BREAST CANCER | OCTOBER 2018 | INSIDENOVA.COM
of Cancer in 2002 of 58,000 women with breast cancer and 95,000 women without. They didn’t pinpoint how alcohol increased the risk of cancer, but it showed that less alcohol was better.” 6. HEALTHIER EATING “Eat a diet that’s low in fat, high in fiber and rich in fruits and vegetables,” says Dr. Deena Graham, an oncologist at John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center, New Jersey. “I believe in eating in moderation, not in fad diets. Eat a chocolate chip cookie if you want it. It’s not going to cause breast cancer, but just make sure that you are eating enough vegetables that cover the color of the rainbow.” When you’re choosing what foods to eat, Kirkland says to focus on a plantbased diet. “You want to know where your food is coming from,” she says. “The American Cancer Society says that if everyone ate a healthy diet, nearly one-third of all cancers would be eliminated.” 7. NO MORE HORMONES Serrano-Ojeda says to forget about taking hormones. “Research has shown that taking hormones such as estrogen and progesterone has caused an increased risk of breast cancer,” he explains. 8. INCREASE VITAMIN D INTAKE The Vitamin D Council says that women who have breast cancer often have a low level of Vitamin D. “Get your Vitamin D level checked,” Lerman says. “Women with a higher level of Vitamin D are less likely to develop breast cancer, but not everyone should take the supplement.” Talk to your doctor about getting tested and if taking a Vitamin D supplement is right for you. 9. SELF-EXAM “Every month you should be performing a breast self-exam in the shower to see if you feel something different,” Serrano-Ojeda says. If you’re over the age of 40, you should also schedule an annual mammogram. “While there is a lot of controversy, most healthcare providers believe that a mammography detects early breast cancer,” Graham says. 10. IMPROVE YOUR HAIR CARE Wash that cancer right out of your hair? Well, not exactly, but SerranoOjeda says that shampoos that contain parabens such as sulfate could possibly increase your risk for breast cancer. Parabens are a group of compounds widely used as antimicrobial preservatives in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics products, including deodorant. They are absorbed through the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. For more information on breast cancer, visit Susan G Komen Foundation at ww5.komen.org or the National Breast Cancer Foundation at www. nationalbreastcancer.org. © CTW Features
Keep Up On Mammograms
Caring for yourself after breast cancer surgery and treatment also means keeping up on regular and post-surgery screenings. “The use of regular mammograms to detect a return of breast cancer before any symptoms appear is associated with better overall survival,” said Dr. Kathryn Ruddy, MD, MPH and director of Cancer Survivorship for the Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, who led a newly published study in JNCCN – Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The researchers followed 27,212 patients for almost three years after breast cancer surgery and found that, one year out from surgery, 13 percent of survivors had not had any breast imaging. This number rose to 19 percent by five years and only 50 percent of the patients who were followed for at least five years had at least one mammogram each of those five years. The study also found that African-American breast cancer survivors were less likely than their white counterparts to receive mammograms according to the recommended schedule. “This lack of imaging follow-up represents a missed opportunity for identifying recurrent or new breast cancers among a high-risk patient subgroup,” says Benjamin O. Anderson, MD, FACS, professor of surgery and global health medicine at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Apps and web-based programs are now in development to help support and encourage breast cancer patients to adhere to post-treatment screening guidelines. Screenings and caring for your mental health and well-being are all part of a successful post-cancer treatment recovery.
1st in N. VA to offer the new Smart Curve technology.
More Accurate | More Comfortable
play a critical role in the “Mammograms early detection of breast cancer and with the addition of the SmartCurve system, we’ll be able to lessen the pain and anxiety associated with mammograms. Dr. Jennifer Park Medical Director, AAR
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Give yourself the gift of life, schedule your annual mammogram Pearl Hawver believes in the power of a positive attitude. She also believes in the strength of preventative care. That’s why every year on her birthday she gives herself the best gift possible by making sure to get a mammogram. That gift paid off in January 2015, when her routine mammogram discovered a lump in her in her right breast. “My doctor said, ‘You have breast cancer.’ And I said, ‘Ok, what next?’ She said, ‘I’m waiting for you to react.’ I said, ‘You don’t call a person to tell them their mammogram was okay. So, I figured I had something.’” It’s that same direct, no-nonsense approach Pearl used to face her diagnosis of Her2+ breast cancer. She turned to the team of Dr. Farn Chan and Dr. Masoom Kandahari, triple-board certified hematology and oncology experts. “The mission of our team is to implement a patient-centered environment where patients are at the core of discussion and decision making,” explains Dr. Kandahari, medical staff president at Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, who has been treating patient in the Woodbridge area for almost 30 years. “We often know all the cancer patients and share the responsibility in taking care of them, so patients won’t be with a completely new doctor who is not familiar with their case if one of us is not available. It also provides a unique opportunity for patients to have a second opinion in their care, without literally having to go to a separate location,” adds Dr. Chan, chairman of the Cancer Committee and breast program leadership member of the hospital. With Pearl’s diagnosis of HER2+ breast cancer, the doctors were able to consult with
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PEARL HAWVER
one another to determine the best course of action. “Her2+ breast cancer tends to be more aggressive, associated with higher risk of recurrence and poorer prognosis in the absence of systemic therapy. However, prognosis has improved with the availability of Her2 targeted therapy,” Chan said. Pearl’s personalized medical plan included: six months of chemo, a lumpectomy, receiving radiation and then following up with a year of Her2 chemo. Her positive attitude helped lead the way. “I did really well on chemo,” recalls Pearl, “I’m pretty laid back. I don’t let anything rent space in my head. I give it to God and we go from there. I don’t worry about things, I let the doctors take care of that,”
says Pearl. Pearl says part of the reason things went so well was because of the support she received from her family, especially her younger sister, Phyllis. Phyllis, also a breast cancer survivor, helped Pearl get to her assorted appointments, sat with her through chemo and provided the emotional and moral support she needed. In the wake of Pearl’s recovery, Phyllis has even helped her channel her sewing talents to help fund breast cancer research. “Right now, I’m making pin cushion hats for Relay for Life,” says Pearl, “Last year, I did five tote bags and they went for $100 each!” The 78-year-old is living her life to the fullest, spending time with her three kids, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, thanks to the team approach of Dr. Chan and Dr. Kandahari. “Cancer is a journey and they are right there with you,” explains Pearl. “They were on top of everything and they were very good! They were considerate and kind. Plus, Sarah, the clinical
POWER OF PINK | SURVIVING BREAST CANCER | OCTOBER 2018 | INSIDENOVA.COM
nurse manager, was just wonderful during the chemo treatments.” The multi-disciplinary team approach, in the office and within the Sentara Cancer Network, allowed Pearl to get state-of-theart care. Sentara Healthcare is the first system in Virginia to be accredited as an Integrated Network Cancer Program by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer, meaning connections to a network of doctors, researchers, and groundbreaking clinical expertise. Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center was the first in the area to offer Xoft® Radiation Therapy System for patients with early-stage breast cancer. This, coupled with exemplary patient care of an Oncology Nurse Navigator, who guides patients and their family through the sometimes daunting experience of a cancer diagnosis, is all in an effort to improve health every day. To schedule an appointment, call 703-523-1560 or visit Sentara.com for more information on women’s health imaging near you.
LETS FIGHT BREAST CANCER TOGETHER!
After Cancer Once treatments end, patients experience a wide range of challenging emotions BY MATTHEW M. F. MILLER CTW FEATURES
Becoming a cancer survivor is a fulltime job – a life-changing, all-encompassing experience that changes lives forever. And, since it is such a challenging event both emotionally and physically, it’s easy to assume that when cancer treatment ends for those who have had to endure it, the reaction immediately following the last treatment would be immense relief. After all, to those of us who have watched someone we love experience cancer, it’s a big relief when it’s “over.” The reality, however, is different. For cancer patients, it’s not over and, according to Dr. Lynne Wagner, deputy chair, cancer control and outcomes program, Wake Forest University, finishing treatment can be a relief tempered with anxiety but it can also cause some patients to be depressed. “It’s somewhat individual, from a research perspective,” Dr. Wagner says. Christie Rigg, El Cerrito, Calif., a breast cancer therapist and survivor herself, notes that when someone is diagnosed with cancer, “Life becomes incredibly busy. It’s like your job is dealing with the cancer,” she says. “I said cancer should come with a secretary – you’ve got appointments, surgeries, chemo, biopsies, bills – and everything else needs to keep going.” As a result, she says, a lot of the women she works with don’t begin to process their emotions until treatment ends and those feelings bubble up. Additionally, with all those appointments comes a built-in support system that cuts off cold turkey, Dr. Wagner says. “You’re getting good support from the medical team and
coming in every day,” she says. “Then you transition from regular contact and a lot of patients are left out on their own.” Further, there’s the followup looming out there and between treatment and that appointment there can be a sense of helplessness because patients are no longer “actively” fighting cancer. Fear of the unknown results of all this treatment also compounds these other emotions. Both Rigg and Dr. Wagner stress to the patients they work with that feeling any of this and more is completely normal. Just as each cancer and treatment plan is individual, so is the range of emotions one may feel about finishing and attempting to resume “normal” life. Rigg finds that women who share their stories in groups realize quickly they are not alone in these feelings. Reconnecting with social networks, exercise, and taking stock of priorities going forward can all help patients during this transition. Making healthy lifestyle choices can also empower patients to feel more “in control” of their situations during this time. Dr. Wagner says advocacy work can also be helpful, whether fundraising, counseling or volunteering with a cancer organization. It’s important to realize that cancer is a life-changing event and because of that, patients are “really going through a grieving process,” Dr. Wagner says. “Part of that loss is that the view of themselves has changed— their view of a vibrant healthy person and they’re reminded of mortality. That’s quite a loss.” The National Cancer Institute has a comprehensive booklet online on just this topic, which can be found at www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/lifeafter-treatment. © CTW Features
Quick Lane Service at Battlefield Ford will be offering
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ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC
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S I N G L E - D AY B R E A S T C A N C E R T R E AT M E N T
GET BACK TO YOUR LIFE FASTER WITH INTR AOPER ATIVE R ADIATION THER APY (IORT ), BRE A S T C ANCER SURGERY AND TRE ATMENT ARE DONE IN JUS T ONE DAY !
A R E YO U R E A DY F O R I O R T ?
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge, Virginia was the first to offer this new technology in the region. lntraoperative Radiation Therapy is a type of radiation therapy in which radiation is delivered at the time of surgery. In breast IORT, the entire dose of radiation may be delivered during a single, intraoperative fraction. One typical IORT treatment can be delivered in as little as eight minutes compared to the seven-week course of external beam therapy.
To Find an IORT Trained Breast Surgeon & Radiation Oncologist, Call 1-800-SENTARA or visit Sentara.com
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POWER OF PINK | SURVIVING BREAST CANCER | OCTOBER 2018 | INSIDENOVA.COM