Study finds Google system could improve breast cancer detection

CHICAGO — A Google artificial intelligence system proved as good as expert radiologists at detecting which women had breast cancer based on screening mammograms and showed promise at reducing errors, researchers in the United States and Britain reported.

The study, published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, is the latest to show that artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to improve the accuracy of screening for breast cancer, which affects one in eight women globally.

Radiologists miss about 20 percent of breast cancers in mammograms, the American Cancer Society says, and half of all women who get the screenings over a 10-year period have a false positive result.

The findings of the study, developed with Alphabet Inc's DeepMind AI unit, which merged with Google Health in September, represent a major advance in the potential for the early detection of breast cancer, Mozziyar Etemadi, one of its co-authors from Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said.

The team, which included researchers at Imperial College London and Britain's National Health Service, trained the system to identify breast cancers on tens of thousands of mammograms.

They then compared the system's performance with the actual results from a set of 25,856 mammograms in the United Kingdom and 3,097 from the United States.

The study showed the AI system could identify cancers with a similar degree of accuracy to expert radiologists, while reducing the number of false positive results by 5.7 percent in the US-based group and by 1.2 percent in the British-based group. 

It also cut the number of false negatives, where tests are wrongly classified as normal, by 9.4 percent in the US group, and by 2.7 percent in the British group.

These differences reflect the ways in which mammograms are read. In the United States, only one radiologist reads the results and the tests are done every one to 2 years. In Britain, the tests are done every 3 years, and each is read by 2 radiologists. When they disagree, a third is consulted.

'SUBTLE CUES'

In a separate test, the group pitted the AI system against 6 radiologists and found it outperformed them at accurately detecting breast cancers.

Connie Lehman, chief of the breast imaging department at Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital, said the results are in line with findings from several groups using AI to improve cancer detection in mammograms, including her own work.

The notion of using computers to improve cancer diagnostics is decades old, and computer-aided detection (CAD) systems are commonplace in mammography clinics, yet CAD programs have not improved performance in clinical practice.

The issue, Lehman said, is that current CAD programs were trained to identify things human radiologists can see, whereas with AI, computers learn to spot cancers based on the actual results of thousands of mammograms.

This has the potential to "exceed human capacity to identify subtle cues that the human eye and brain aren't able to perceive," Lehman added.

Although computers have not been "super helpful" so far, "what we've shown at least in tens of thousands of mammograms is the tool can actually make a very well-informed decision," Etemadi said.

The study has some limitations. Most of the tests were done using the same type of imaging equipment, and the US group contained a lot of patients with confirmed breast cancers.

Crucially, the team has yet to show the tool improves patient care, said Dr Lisa Watanabe, chief medical officer of CureMetrix, whose AI mammogram program won US approval last year.

"AI software is only helpful if it actually moves the dial for the radiologist," she said.

Etemadi agreed that those studies are needed, as is regulatory approval, a process that could take several years. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com

MRIs can better detect cancer in women with dense breasts: study

Many women who have mammograms get normal results that come with a caveat: They are told they have dense breast tissue, which can make their scans harder to read and could leave cancer undetected.

Sometimes those patients are advised to follow up by getting ultrasounds or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, but for many, it is unclear what their next step should be.

Now, a new study provides strong evidence that supplemental MRIs are more effective in finding tumors in these women than mammograms alone.

The study, of more than 40,000 women with extremely dense breasts in the Netherlands, found that those who had mammograms followed by MRIs had more tumors detected than with mammography alone. The research also found that those who had MRIs were less likely to find a cancerous lump in between routine screenings; by the time tumors are big enough to be felt, they tend to be more advanced.

The study, the first large randomized controlled trial of supplemental MRIs in women with dense breasts, was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.

Just under half of women over the age of 40 have dense breasts, which means their breasts have more connective and fibrous tissue than usual and relatively less fat. Women with dense breast tissue have a higher risk of developing breast cancer than women with more fatty breast tissue.

Dr. Wendie Berg, a professor of radiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and chief scientific advisory for DenseBreast-info.org, said the study’s finding were “very important.”

“The standard practice of mammography alone is not adequate for women with extremely dense breasts,” Berg said, adding that her own cancer was detected early enough to require minimal treatment because her family history led her to seek an MRI.

“Women should be advocating for increased access to screening MRI,” she said.

But though the study results were significant, it is still unclear whether supplementing mammograms with MRIs ultimately reduces breast cancer deaths.

“The ultimate test of the value of MRI screening” in these women will be “whether it improves survival — an answer that we will not have for a very long time,” cautioned Dr. Dan L. Longo, a deputy editor of the New England Journal and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, in an editorial accompanying the study.

For all the promise, there is also a downside to using MRIs for breast cancer screening: They yield many false positive results that lead to unnecessary biopsies, and they can detect very early stage tumors that might never become life-threatening, said Carla van Gils, senior author of the study and a professor of clinical epidemiology at University Medical Center Utrecht.

Nevertheless, van Gils said, the significant reduction in interval cancers — cancers that are diagnosed after a negative mammogram — suggests supplementary MRIs may be a lifesaving tool for women with dense breasts.

“It’s not the same as mortality, but it’s the first step. It’s a prerequisite,” she said, adding that the study is ongoing, and mathematical models will be run to make further predictions about mortality and overdiagnosis. “There are more questions that need to be answered.”

Only about 10% of women have extremely dense tissue like the women in the Dutch study. But having dense breast tissue generally makes it harder to see tumors on a mammogram because both the dense tissue and the tumors show up white on an X-ray. Fat, on the other hand, shows up black, so tumors are easily seen.

The Dutch study, called DENSE (Dense Tissue and Early Breast Neoplasm Screening), is a multi-center, randomized controlled trial of 40,373 women between the ages of 50 and 75 in the Netherlands, all of whom have extremely dense breast tissue and had a normal screening mammogram. Scientists randomly invited 8,061 of the women to undergo a supplemental MRI, while the remaining 32,312 had only the mammography.

Though only 59% of the women invited to have an MRI accepted the offer and had the additional screening, 16.5 additional cancers were detected for every 1,000 women who had an MRI.

That in itself was not surprising and had been demonstrated by earlier studies. The researchers were more interested in another question: Did the supplemental MRI screening catch so-called interval cancers that would become symptomatic before the next routine screening, two years hence?

Their analysis found that it did. Among the women in the study who had an MRI, the rate of interval cancer detection was 0.8 interval cancers per 1,000, far less than the rate of interval cancers in the mammography-only group, which was five per 1,000.

Many states now require that women having mammograms be informed that their breast tissue is dense when they get the results, and the Food and Drug Administration is developing similar guidelines. But there is little to no guidance on what women given the information should do about it. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not recommend routine use of additional tests after mammography in women who do not have symptoms or other risk factors, though many patients are referred for a supplemental scan.

“The takeaway is that there is no one perfect screening test, and each patient’s perspective on the best course of treatment needs to be considered,” said Dr. Marisa Weiss, founder of breastcancer.org, an educational resource for patients.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Trailblazing performer Diahann Carroll dies at 84

LOS ANGELES, United States—Diahann Carroll, the first black woman to star in her own primetime show and who later gained international acclaim for her role in the 1980s series "Dynasty," died Friday. She was 84 years old.

The performer died at her Los Angeles residence after a years-long battle against breast cancer, according to her publicist.

The Oscar-nominated actress—who won a Tony Award for her star turn in Broadway's "No Strings" in 1962—was known for her chic elegance as well as her trailblazing performance in 1968's "Julia."

Born July 17, 1935 in New York's Bronx borough, Carroll proved a gifted singer from a young age, and worked as a model as well as in musical theater before being cast in the 1959 screen adaptation of "Porgy and Bess."

It was "Julia" that catapulted her to celebrity—nabbing her a Golden Globe award and an Emmy nomination—as she portrayed a professional black woman in an era when black actresses generally played stereotypical secondary roles.

But while "Julia" was seen as groundbreaking it also fell under sharp criticism for allegedly white-washing the black experience in a tumultuous 1960s America plagued by racial inequality.

In films she starred opposite performers like Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman and Michael Caine.

The primetime soap opera "Dynasty" saw Carroll establish herself on the global stage, playing a glamorous schemer—and the antagonist to Joan Collins' character—in the series about a well-heeled Colorado family.

"I wanted to be the first black bitch on television," Carroll said in an interview on her first day on the "Dynasty" set. 

"I've never played a role quite this unlikeable," she said. "I like that very much because I think very often, particularly minorities, it's almost required of them that they are nice people."

"And I don't want to play a nice person."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Former Empress Michiko leaves hospital after breast cancer surgery

TOKYO - Former Empress Michiko was discharged from the University of Tokyo Hospital on Tuesday, two days after undergoing successful breast cancer surgery, the Imperial Household Agency said.

Doctors deemed the 84-year-old former empress was recovering smoothly from the surgery Sunday after observing that her appetite was gradually returning and she could leave her room and walk around.

The former emperor expressed gratitude to the head of the hospital and doctors who conducted the operation, telling them "thank you" before returning to the Imperial Palace by car.

She was admitted to hospital on Saturday to undergo a partial mastectomy to remove cancerous cells while preserving her left breast.

The operation was performed by medical staff from the Shizuoka Cancer Center, which dispatched doctors to carry out breast cancer screenings of the former empress, and the University of Tokyo Hospital.

A lump was found in July in the mammary gland of the former empress's left breast during an echography exam, and the cancer diagnosis was confirmed after a needle biopsy was conducted in early August.

At stage 1, the earliest stage of invasive breast cancer out of four, no tumor cells were detected to have spread.

A decision on whether or not to administer hormone therapy and other treatments will be made based on the results of a final pathological diagnosis of the removed tissue, which will take one to two weeks to complete.

On the day of the surgery, Former Emperor Akihito and the couple's daughter Sayako Kuroda visited the hospital to see the former empress before her operation. The pair also came to the hospital on Monday.

Former Empress Michiko lost weight due to stress and a busy schedule amid the imperial succession earlier in the year, according to the agency. She underwent cataract surgery on both eyes in June and was earlier diagnosed with heart valve abnormalities, with the condition continuing to be monitored.

The former emperor became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in about two centuries, bringing an end to the Heisei Era spanning his 30-year reign. His elder son Emperor Naruhito ascended the Chrysanthemum Throne on May 1.

==Kyodo

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Maureen Wroblewitz joins fight against breast cancer

MANILA -- Fashion Can Serve returns this year with undeniable elegance. The breast cancer support network, ICanServe Foundation, has chosen Cary Santiago, JC Buendia, Ito Curata, Vania Romoff, Mia Arcenas, and Rosenthal Tee to frontline this year’s edition.

Although the actual show will be held at Raffles Makati hotel on October 8, select members of the press, such as Metro Magazine, got a glimpse of the eagerly anticipated fashion exclusive to go with the campaign for breast cancer awareness.

These six designers, together with their celebrity muses and models, will unveil their unique vision through their Holiday 2017 collection, and deliver their message of support for the ICanServe Foundation’s advocacy. That is, to fight the stigma of breast cancer, strengthen awareness, and promote early detection among Filipino women.

‘Why We Fight’

This year’s theme has been aptly titled, “Why We Fight,” highlighting how women diagnosed with breast cancer stay strong for others around them. 

ICanServe Foundation’s chairwoman Libet Virata shares how the campaign will emphasize this message by selecting muses, which will include a mother and her child, or grandmothers with their grandchildren. Some of this year’s muses include Gloria Diaz, Margie Moran Floirendo, Solenn Heusaff, Katarina Rodriguez, Metrowear Icon WynnWynn Ong, and Jasmine Curtis-Smith, to name a few. 

Coming from her triumph as the first Filipina to win "Asia’s Next Top Model," Maureen Wroblewitz is the face of Fashion Can Serve 2017. 

For Maureen, the cause is something close to her heart, since her mother was once a volunteer for ICanServe until she passed away from her battle with breast cancer. Together with Maureen, survivors and supporters will take part in this year’s fashion show, and inspire Filipina women to keep the good fight against cancer.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Olivia Newton-John says breast cancer has returned

"Grease" actress and singer Olivia Newton-John said on Tuesday that her breast cancer has returned and spread to her lower back.

Newton-John, 68, who became an advocate for healthy living and medical research after her first bout with breast cancer in 1992, will undergo radiation treatment and is confident of returning to work later this year, her representatives said in a statement.

"I decided on my direction of therapies after consultation with my doctors and natural therapists and the medical team at my Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia," Newton-John said.

The statement said the "Physical" singer was postponing her June U.S. and Canadian tours.

"The back pain that initially caused her to postpone the first half of her concert tour, has turned out to be breast cancer that has metastasized to the sacrum," Tuesday's statement said.

British-born and Australian-raised Newton-John started her career as a singer with pop hits like "If Not for You" and "I Honestly Love You."

She shot to international fame in the 1978 movie adaptation of musical "Grease," playing goody-goody teenager Sandy opposite John Travolta's wild boy Danny Zuko.

Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992, and has raised funds for research and treatment as well as campaigning against animal cruelty.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Sandra Maler)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Pfizer nears deal to acquire Medivation for close to $14-B -sources

NEW YORK - Pfizer Inc. is in advanced talks to acquire U.S. cancer drug company Medivation Inc. for close to $14 billion, as it seeks to boost its oncology portfolio, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Pfizer has agreed to pay a little more than $80 per share for Medivation, one of the people said, a substantial premium to the $52.50 offer for Medivation that France's Sanofi made in April, which eventually resulted in the company putting itself up for sale.

Medivation shares ended trading in New York on Friday at $67.16.

Reuters reported earlier this week that Pfizer, Sanofi, Merck & Co Inc., Celgene Corp. and Gilead Sciences Inc. had submitted expressions of interest to acquire Medivation.

The strong acquisition interest in the San Francisco-based company illustrates how demand for new cancer treatments, which can possibly add years to patients' lives, could spell billions of dollars in revenue to the companies that own them.

Pfizer has so far prevailed in the auction for Medivation and could announce a deal as early as Monday, although the negotiations still could fall apart at the last minute, the people said. The deal is expected to be paid for by Pfizer in its entirety, or at least mostly, with cash, one of the people said.

The sources asked not to be identified because the negotiations are confidential. Pfizer and Medivation declined to comment. The Financial Times first reported on Pfizer nearing a deal for Medivation on Sunday.

Pfizer, whose oncology offerings include breast cancer drug Ibrance and several other promising immuno-oncology products, is now set to get access to Medivation's successful prostate cancer drug Xtandi, as well as Talazoparib, another breast cancer treatment under development by Medivation.

Medivation earlier this year rejected two acquisition offers from Sanofi, the latest for $58 per share in cash and $3 per share in the form of a contingent value right relating to the sales performance of Talazoparib.

However, Medivation agreed in July to share confidential information with potential buyers after Sanofi agreed to drop a campaign to oust Medivation's board of directors.

In its second-quarter earnings call earlier this month, Medivation reported continued double-digit year-over-year growth for Xtandi, affirming the company’s expectations of more than 50 percent revenue growth for the year.

Medivation also cited positive late-stage data for Talazoparib, a drug the company believes will account for a significant part of its long-term value.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Romance novelist Jackie Collins dies at 77

LOS ANGELES -- Best-selling romance novelist Jackie Collins, whose first book was so steamy it was banned in some countries, died of breast cancer in California Saturday, her family said. She was 77.

"She lived a wonderfully full life and was adored by her family, friends and the millions of readers who she has been entertaining for over four decades," her family said in a statement, adding that she had battled breast cancer for more than six years.

"She was a true inspiration, a trailblazer for women in fiction and a creative force. She will live on through her characters but we already miss her beyond words," added the statement from her three daughters, Tracy, Tiffany, and Rory.

Her works included "The World is Full of Married Men," "Confessions of a Wild Child," "The Stud" and "Hollywood Wives." The first, released in 1968, stirred up so much outrage that it was banned from bookshelves in South Africa and Australia.

British-born Collins, who started out acting before focusing on writing, and her older sister, actress Joan Collins, famously found great success at trading on the Hollywood early-bad girl mystique they had, both on screen and off.

Jackie Collins wrote a series of novels starring main character Lucky Santangelo and many of her works found their way onto TV screens as movies or miniseries.

Joan Collins, 82, told People magazine she was "completely devastated" by the loss of her sister.

"She was my best friend," she told the publication. "I admire how she handled this. She was a wonderful, brave and a beautiful person and I love her."

People said the prolific author had been diagnosed with end-stage breast cancer six-and-a-half years ago, and "chose to keep her illness almost entirely to herself."

Joan Collins herself just learned of her sister's illness "within the last two weeks," People reported.

"She was very shocked," Jackie Collins recently told the magazine of Joan's reaction to the news. "She had no idea. But she was great. We were emotional."

Jackie Collins had lived in California for years, and was a naturalized US citizen.

Fans pay tribute

Tributes poured in as word spread of her passing.

"An amazing woman. Talented. Funny. Kind. One of my very favorite producers ever. She will be deeply missed," actress Melissa Gilbert tweeted.

TV personality Sharon Osbourne tweeted a picture of herself with Collins.


Fellow best-selling author Christopher Rice also took to Twitter: "For many readers, Jackie Collins was their first encounter with fully formed, non-self loathing gay characters."

Fans flocked to her official Facebook page in droves to express their shock and sadness.

"RIP Jackie Collins, thanks for all the great reads through the years," wrote one woman, Cheryl Englehart.

"Though I read them at an age that was probably too young, her books helped me to see that there was a larger world out there, an exciting world."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Why Angelina Jolie had her ovaries removed

WASHINGTON - Hollywood megastar Angelina Jolie announced Tuesday that she has had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed over fears of cancer, following her double mastectomy two years ago.

The actress, who has lost her mother, grandmother and aunt to the disease, said she had the procedure last week after results from a blood test raised fears that she may be in the early stages of cancer.

Although later tests showed that wasn't the case, Jolie said she chose to go ahead with the surgery because of her family history and because she carries a gene mutation that had given her a 50 percent risk of developing ovarian cancer, the same mutation that put her at 87 percent risk of developing breast cancer.

"I did not do this solely because I carry the BRCA1 gene mutation, and I want other women to hear this," Jolie wrote in an op-ed piece in the New York Times, the same venue where she announced her double mastectomy two years ago.

"A positive BRCA test does not mean a leap to surgery," said Jolie, who is married to fellow Hollywood heavyweight Brad Pitt.

"In my case, the Eastern and Western doctors I met agreed that surgery to remove my tubes and ovaries was the best option, because on top of the BRCA gene, three women in my family have died from cancer," she wrote.

Her doctors said that she should have the preventive surgery about a decade before the earliest onset of cancer in her female relatives.

"My mother’s ovarian cancer was diagnosed when she was 49. I’m 39."

Jolie said that she had been preparing for the possibility of ovary removal ever since her double mastectomy.

But two weeks ago, she said, she got a call from a doctor who said her blood test results had "a number of inflammatory markers that are elevated, and taken together they could be a sign of early cancer."

She was told to see a surgeon immediately.

"I went through what I imagine thousands of other women have felt. I told myself to stay calm, to be strong, and that I had no reason to think I wouldn’t live to see my children grow up and to meet my grandchildren," Jolie wrote.

"I called my husband in France, who was on a plane within hours. The beautiful thing about such moments in life is that there is so much clarity. You know what you live for and what matters. It is polarizing, and it is peaceful."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Actress Liezl Martinez passes away at 47

MANILA - Actress Liezl Martinez passed away on Saturday morning after a long battle with cancer.

"Si Liezl, yung pamangkin ko, namatay kaninang umaga, 6:15 a.m., stage 4 cancer," said her uncle, Cheng Muhlach.

Muhlach said the 47-year-old actress was in the hospital since Monday.




"All the family is here. Ibuburol siya sa Arlington," he said.

Family friend Shirley Kwan who is also the manager of Albert Martinez, Liezl's husband, said in a statement that the actress "peacefully passed away in her sleep."

"Liezl is surrounded by her beloved husband, Albert; precious children, Alyanna, Alfonso, and Alyssa; loving mother, Amalia; father Bobby; and her relatives at this time of love and grief," said Kwan.

Martinez was first diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer in 2007.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How hormones raise risk of breast cancer

MANILA -- Heavy exposure to estrogen can increase a woman's risk of having breast cancer, an expert warned.

Dr. Pierrete Kaw, a breast surgeon at The Medical City, explained on Thursday's episode of the radio show "Magandang Gabi Dok" the different risk factors for breast cancer.

The risk factors are age of menstruation and menopause, weight, and family history.

Women who first had their menstruation younger than 12 years old or those who still have their period over the age of 55 have a higher risk of breast cancer.

Women who are overweight and those who often eat fatty food are also at high risk of the disease.

Kaw said prolonged exposure to estrogen can put women at higher risk of breast cancer.

"Yung mga pasyenteng hindi pa nabubuntis, exposed sa estrogen. Kapag kasi nabuntis, may ibang hormone, 'yung progesterone. Increased exposure to estrogen increases the risk," Kaw added.

Taking oral contraceptives and hormonal replacement pills continuously for at least 5 years also put women at higher risk of breast cancer.

"If you take pills, pwedeng putol-putol ang pag-inom. Mas maganda kung putol-putol, lalo na kung may family history [ng breast cancer]," Kaw advised.

The doctor also advised women to do a self-examination of the breast at least once a month.

"At the age of 20, dapat nagche-check na tayo ng sariling suso," Kaw said.

The self-examination should be done from the 7th to the 10th day after the period.

What to watch out for

Symptoms of breast cancer include painless lumps that grow in size, wounds and discoloration on the skin on the breast, blood on the nipples, and other skin abnormalities.

Breast lumps are usually hard to the touch, and are not painful.

However, Kaw clarified that not all lumps are signs of cancer.

"Kung may kinalaman sa period, kapag nawala ang period, nawawala yung bukol o 'yung pain," she added.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Spain-based Pinay shares her fight vs breast cancer

BARCELONA - Marieclaire De Sagun Rivera, also known as Claire, had been actively involved in business and Filipino community activities in Barcelona. Until one day, she felt a painful lump in her left breast.

“At first naramdaman ko tumigas ang left breast ko. Agad naman pumunta ako ng doktor pero it was a misdiagnosis. I asked for another opinion. Nag-ask ako agad ng mammogram sa kanila. So from then, I was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer stage 2.”

The cancer was aggressive that they had to immediately remove her left breast.

She also had to undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatment for a year.




“Noong malaman ko na may breast cancer ako, unang-una kong tinawag yung nasa itaas. Sinabi ko kay Lord, Ikaw na bahala sa akin. Isang malaking factor na nagpalakas ng loob ko, mayroon akong support group, isang pastoral group, they pray for me. Strong faith sa Diyos ang pinakalamalaking bagay.”

Claire, now a cancer survivor, also sourced her strength from her loving husband, family and friends. She continues to receive antibodies treatment and is grateful that cancer treatment in Spain has not incurred her any cost.

Support groups like Oncolliga, a Catalonia-based foundation, also provides psycho-social help to cancer patients and their families.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in developing and wealthy countries alike, according to Asociación Española Contra El Cancer. One in eight women will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.

“Nowadays, we don’t know the main cause of cancer. We know that there are several causes, like contamination, virus, etc. It’s a multi-factorial event,” said Dr. Jesus Soberino, medical oncologist at Hospital Vall d’Hebron in Barcelona.

“A painless cyst in the breast is the most common symptom,” Dr. Soberino added.

“The best way to know if we have a breast cancer, first, is self-examination. Even more for women from 50 years old, that’s the age where the risk is increased. Apart from this, a very good screening program based on mammogram is also very effective. It is the most effective way to detect cancer in earlier stage where we can achieve more effective treatment and where we can cure the patient.”

Aside from early diagnosis, balanced diet, healthy lifestyle and regular exercise are also recommended in cancer prevention.

Claire, a nurse herself, believes in the old adage that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’, and has a piece of advice to all hardworking Filipinas.

“Siyempre ang main priority natin dito is magtrabaho pero dapat kailangan meron tayong time for ourselves, na kahit nagta-trabaho tayo meron tayong time para alagaan ang sarili natin. Yung medical necessity naman ay libre sa España, so we can have mammogram or physical check-ups sa mga doctors natin, at least makita kaagad kung anong kind of disease na meron tayo.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Orange vegetables may reduce breast cancer

U.S. researchers found women with the highest levels of carotenoids -- found in produce -- in their blood had the lowest risk of breast cancer.

A. Heather Eliassen of the Channing Division of Network Medicine, the Department of Medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and colleagues, conducted an analysis of eight studies involving 80 percent of the world's published prospective data on plasma or serum carotenoids and breast cancer.

The analysis included 3,055 case subjects and 3,956 matched control subjects.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found in more than 3,000 case subjects, there were statistically significantly inverse associations between circulating levels of individual and total carotenoids and breast cancer risk, with a stronger finding in estrogen receptor-breast cancers -- breast cancers that grow in response to the hormone estrogen.

"The inverse associations we observed among ER-negative tumors highlight carotenoids as one of the first modifiable risk factors for this poor prognosis tumor type," the study authors wrote in the study.

Some evidence has shown that carotenoids inhibit the growth of ER-positive breast cancers as well, it's possible that its effect is hidden by hormone related associations which overpower other risk factors. Still, the researchers said: "A diet high in carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables offers many health benefits, including a possible reduced risk of breast cancer."

The website the World's Healthiest Foods said foods that contain carotenoids include:

-- The orange-colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, apricots, mangoes, squash, papaya, and sweet potatoes contain significant amounts of beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin.

-- Green vegetables, especially spinach, kale and collard greens, also contain beta-carotene, and are the best sources of lutein.

-- Lycopene is found in tomatoes, guava, and pink grapefruit.

-- Salmon, shellfish, milk and egg yolks also provide carotenoids.

source: upi.com

'Jose Rizal' director Marilou Diaz-Abaya dies

MANILA - Multi-awarded director Marilou Diaz-Abaya has passed away.

Abaya, who was battling breast cancer, died at the hospital at 6:45 in the evening.

Some of her most well-known works include "Tanikala," "Muro-ami," and the "Jose Rizal" biopic.

Her final film was the religious family drama "Ikaw ang Pag-ibig" in 2011, which commemorated the 300th anniversary of Our Lady of Peñafrancia. -- ANC, Rundown, October 8, 2012

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Cristina Decena recalls poignant moment with Mommy Elvie Villasanta

MANILA, Philipines – Businesswoman Cristina Decena was moved to tears in recalling the day her mother-in-law, Elvie Villasanta, was wheeled off to the operation room for her breast cancer operation.

“Dinala niya ‘yung isang malaking-malaking lalagyan ng lahat ng importanteng bagay sa buhay niya. Ibinigay niya sa akin. Sabi niya sa akin para siguro hindi ako malungkot, 'Hawakan mo ito kasi baka pagpunta ko sa operating room ay may makapasok dito at mawala ito,'” Cristina shared at the presscon for season 3 of “Mommy Elvie @ 18."

“Isa-isa niyang binilin sa akin ‘yung ATM cards niya, ‘yung SSS card, ‘yung mga alahas niya, ‘yung pera niya. Sabi niya hawakan ko raw. Ang pinakaimportanteng bagay na binilin niya sa akin si Ariel (Villasanta),” she added.

That scene made Cristina shed tears.

“ Naiyak ako kasi hindi ako sanay sa ganoong scene. Tapos lahat ng mga anak no naroon sa tabi ko, humahalik kay mommy kasi siyempre hindi natin alam ang mangyayari pagkatapos ng operasyon niya. For the first time in my life naramdaman kong mayroon akong isang ina, biyenan na nagmamahal sa akin. Sobra akong nagpapasalamat dahil nga si mommy, ramdam na ramdam ko na mahal niya ako, mga anak ko at tanggap niya na ako ang asawa ng anak niya. Nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos at dumating sila sa buhay ko,” she said, her voice nearly cracking.

At 84, Mommy Elvie was able to recover fast from her breast cancer operation, something which Cristina calls “a miracle."

Cristina assured the public that “Mommy Elvie @ 18” will continue even beyond its third season for as long as “may nagtitiwala at hangga’t maraming sponsors”.

“Ang sabi nga ni Ms. Annette Gozon-Abrogar, ang 'Mommy Elvie @ 18' ang isa sa pinakamataas ang rating sa GMA News TV sa Saturday slot.”

The show will be more innovative this time around.

“Makikita natin na naoperahan si mommy, na nag-courtesy call siya kay Vice President Jejomar Binay. Blessing na sa kanyang edad ay naka-recover siya kaagad. Saka lahat ng wishes niya nadagdagan. Sa third season ay ie-explain niya kung bakit ‘yun ang mga wishes niya. ‘Yung pagmamahal ni Ariel sa mommy niya, parang baligtad ang mangyayari. Basta, may surprise.”

And for the first time, Cristina shared, Mommy Elvie will render public service.

source: mb.com.ph

Komen breast cancer charity severs ties with Planned Parenthood

In what looks to be a break between two organizations dedicated to women's health, a national breast cancer awareness group said it would stop providing funds to Planned Parenthood centers for breast cancer examinations and other breast health services.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a leader in fundraising for breast cancer research and famous worldwide for its iconic pink ribbon, said Tuesday that it was halting all partnerships with Planned Parenthood affiliates because of recently adopted criteria that forbid it from funding any organization under government investigation.

In September, Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) launched an inquiry to determine whether Planned Parenthood uses public money to fund abortions. Planned Parenthood receives federal money but cannot use it to provide abortions.

Komen has a long history of providing funding to various Planned Parenthood affiliates for such services as manual breast exams and referrals for mammograms and biopsies to check suspicious lumps for cancer. Although that money is not used for abortions, the Komen Foundation may have yielded to demands from antiabortion groups to sever its ties to Planned Parenthood.

"We had the sense this was coming and that they were under pressure," said Sue Dunlap, chief executive of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. "I find this really disappointing. I think when women's health is more of a political conversation than a conversation about healthcare and taking care of people, then we've gone too far."

Officials for Planned Parenthood Federation of America said they learned of Komen's new stance on funding late last year and asked the Komen board of directors for a meeting to resolve any issues or questions related to funding. The meeting did not take place, said Cecile Richards, the federation's president.

"We are alarmed and saddened that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation appears to have succumbed to political pressure," Richards said in a statement. "Our greatest desire is for Komen to reconsider this policy and recommit to the partnership on which so many women count."

Over the last five years, Planned Parenthood has provided about 4 million breast exams and referrals for 70,000 mammograms nationwide. Funding from Komen covers about 170,000 of the breast exams and 6,400 mammogram referrals, Richards said. Although mammograms and biopsies are referred out, Planned Parenthood doctors manage their patients' cases.

Officials from the Komen Foundation could not be reached for comment. But in an earlier interview with the Associated Press, Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun said that the decision was based solely on the Stearns investigation and did not imply wrongdoing by Planned Parenthood.

"We want to maintain a positive relationship with them," Aun told the Associated Press. "We're not making any judgment."

In Orange County, the loss of Komen grants will end programs to reach out to special groups in need of breast cancer education, said Stephanie Kight, senior vice president of the Planned Parenthood affiliate for Orange and San Bernardino counties.

One Komen grant funded outreach to Vietnamese women in which Planned Parenthood workers would provide breast health education in hair and nail salons and other gathering places for Vietnamese women. Another allowed the chapter to fund referrals for biopsies for women who had suspicious lumps discovered during breast exams at a Planned Parenthood clinic.

The $120,000 annual grants the affiliate received from Komen made up half of its yearly budget for breast health care, Kight said.

"We've been long-time partners with Komen in taking care of women's breast health," said Kight, who added that her affiliate had not yet been informed of Komen's decision to halt Planned Parenthood funding. "If this decision was brought on because of political pressure, that would be really disappointing."

Antiabortion groups lauded the decision and described it as the result of years of lobbying from Americans who oppose abortion.

"I know that hundreds, even thousands, of people reached out to Komen to request they stop giving to Planned Parenthood. That was constant over the years," said Eric Scheidler, executive director of the Chicago-based Pro-Life Action League. "Pro-life people object because Planned Parenthood is the nation's largest abortion chain. Every dollar they take in facilitates their operations."

Planned Parenthood has become the central target of antiabortion groups, Scheidler added. Last year, the organization, which serves about 3 million people a year for reproductive healthcare and other primary-care services, was the focus of a bill introduced by Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) that would have halted its federal funding. About one-third of Planned Parenthood's $1.1-billion national budget comes from the federal government.

The bill was defeated. But the Komen Foundation decision "really shows that when pro-life people make their views known in a vocal way, through all of those phone calls and emails and public protests, it can have an impact," Scheidler said. "It's really encouraging and, hopefully, will be followed by other corporate donors to Planned Parenthood."

The decision spurred vigorous comment on websites across the country Tuesday night.

"Shame, shame, shame on Susan G Komen. I thought you cared about women's health," wrote one visitor to the Susan G. Komen "Sound off!" message board. "Betrayal," wrote another: "I have had friends and family members who have survived breast cancer and other cancers. ... I will never make another contribution to another SGK event or cause."

"Thank you!!! Susan G. Komen for breaking your ties with abortionists!" wrote a third. "Never should you have supported them, regardless of their non-abortion activities."

The action is bound to stir up feelings of torn allegiance, Kight said. Orange County's Planned Parenthood and the local Komen Foundation chapter have had a close working relationship designed to support common goals, and women's health advocates are likely to feel baffled by which organization to align with.

"Our affiliate always sponsors a team of 30 to 40 people who participate in the Race for the Cure," Kight said, referring to a major Komen fundraiser. "I don't know what we'll do now. When we go to the Komen race, we're all just women."

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