miércoles, 24 de octubre de 2018

‘Strong progress’ in decreasing death from breast cancer | Health.mil

‘Strong progress’ in decreasing death from breast cancer | Health.mil

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‘Strong progress’ in decreasing death from breast cancer

Air Force Lt. Col. Michelle Nash is joined by her husband and three of her four children at the Think Pink Fun Run, a breast cancer awareness event held earlier this month at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. (Courtesy photo)Air Force Lt. Col. Michelle Nash is joined by her husband and three of her four children at the Think Pink Fun Run, a breast cancer awareness event held earlier this month at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. (Courtesy photo)



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Air Force Lt. Col. Michelle Nash calls her breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 40 shocking and unexpected. “I had no family history. I breastfed all four of my children, and that’s a protective factor,” she said. “I didn’t have any lumps or any symptoms that would cause me to think, ‘I should go get that checked out.’” Nash’s breast cancer was diagnosed after a routine mammogram, her first.
A year later, Nash said she’s feeling great and has no regrets about her decision to have reconstructive surgery after a double mastectomy. And she’s become even more passionate about advocating for preventative care such as mammograms.
“Mammograms may be something women hesitate to get because they’re afraid they’ll be unpleasant or even painful,” said Nash, assistant professor and director of operations at the U.S. Air Force Academy Behavioral Sciences and Leadership Department. “But they’re just so important.”
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It’s the No. 1 cause of cancer deaths among Hispanic women, and the second most common cause of cancer deaths among white, black, Asian, and Native women.
According to the CDC’s most recent statistics, approximately 242,500 women in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, and 41,500 women died of the disease. But thanks to improvements in detection and treatment, “more and more breast cancer patients are becoming breast cancer survivors,” said Army Col. Craig Shriver, director of the John P. Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
“We’re making strong progress in decreasing death from breast cancer,” he said.
Citing a study that was published October 2017 in the American Cancer Society’s “CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians,” Shriver said breast cancer deaths declined 40 percent from 1989 to 2015.
“That’s dramatic,” said Shriver, who’s also an oncology surgeon and a surgery professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda.
Shriver said the study showed the number of women diagnosed with breast cancer during this 15-year period didn’t change much. “But our screening programs are better, so we’re able to detect the cancers at an earlier stage, when they’re treatable.”
Also, oncologists have fine-tuned traditional treatment approaches. Genetic testing of breast cancer tumors allows oncologists to treat with chemotherapy only those patients who are most likely to respond to it. Those who aren’t can be given other treatments or put into clinical trials.
“In the past, we’d spend a year or two giving chemotherapy, only to find out the cancer came back anyway,” Shriver said. “Now, we’re not wasting that time.”
Shriver said less-invasive breast cancer surgeries are also on the horizon. For example, in a traditional lumpectomy – also known as a breast-conserving therapy – surgeons remove the tumor and some surrounding normal tissue. Researchers are conducting clinical trials to determine if instead of surgical removal, the tumor can be destroyed while it’s still in the breast with directed laser technology.
“We’re moving more and more toward a day, maybe five years from now, when women with breast cancer will be treated almost exclusively without surgery,” Shriver said. “That would be a great advance.”
Meanwhile, he and other health care experts stress early detection. All women over the age of 20 should do a self-exam monthly and get a physical exam by a health care provider annually, Shriver said. For mammograms, women ages 40 to 44 who are at average risk for breast cancer can choose an annual mammogram after consulting with their health care provider. For women 45 to 55 years old, an annual mammogram is recommended. Women 55 and older can get mammograms annually or every two years, based on provider recommendation. For women who have a family history of breast cancer, the CDC recommends discussing screening frequency with a health care provider.
“We can treat breast cancer patients with fewer side effects and with better, targeted therapies,” Shriver said, “and survival rates are better. But early detection is still the best thing.”



Military Midwives Advance Medicine

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10/11/2018
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Mammograms recommended for early detection of breast cancer

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10/4/2018
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5/1/2018
Regina Vadney, nurse midwife, William Beaumont Army Medical Center, evaluates a medical manikin using WBAMC's new simulation system which provides cutting-edge training to medical staff during a simulated postpartum hemorrhage scenario. The new simulation system aims to increase communication, and improve interdisciplinary and clinical performance of staff when treating obstetric emergencies. (U.S. Army photo by Marcy Sanchez)
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Getting tested for STIs is an 'important part of sexual health'

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Navy Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class Robert Hall studies a blood sample with a microscope at Naval Branch Health Clinic Kings Bay’s laboratory. Blood tests and pap smears are commonly used ways to diagnose sexually transmitted infections. (U.S. Navy photo by Jacob Sippel)
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During the 5-year surveillance period, 105 cold weather injuries were diagnosed and treated in service members deployed outside the U.S. of these, 39 (37%) were immersion injuries; 33 (31%) were frostbite; 16 (15%) were hypothermia; and 17 (16%) were “unspecified” cold weather injuries. Pie chart for cold weather injuries during deployments displays depicting the information above. Number of cold weather injuries bar chart: Of all 105 cold weather injuries during the surveillance period, 68% occurred during the first two cold seasons. Bar chart shows the number of cold weather injuries by year: • 2012-2013 cold season had 35 cold weather injuries • 2013-2014 cold season had 100 cold weather injuries • 2014 -2015 cold season had 13 cold weather injuries • 2015-2016 cold season had 11 cold weather injuries • 2016 – 2017 had 10 cold weather injuries Access the full report in the October 2017 MSMR (Vol. 24, No. 10). Go to: www.Health.mil/MSMR  #ColdReadiness
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Maternal complications and delivery outcomes are important components of the overall health and well-being of reproductive-age service women. This analysis provides an update on pregnancy complications and characterizes the counts, rates, and trends of several specific pregnancy complications. FINDINGS • 55,601 U.S. service women whose pregnancies resulted in 63,879 live births had 657,060 medical encounters • For all age groups, percentages of live births affected by preterm labor decreased, but during 2012 – 2016, the percentages of pregnant service members diagnosed with obesity increased. • The percentage of pregnant service members affected by gestational diabetes was more than twice as high for obese women, compared with non-obese women (12.4% vs. 5.5%). Bar graph shows the number of medical encounters with a primary (first-listed) diagnosis of any pregnancy-related complication or indication for care decreased each year between 2012 and 2016. Access the full report in the November 2017 MSMR (Vol. 24, No. 11). Go to: www.Health.mil/MSMR  Background image: New born being provided medical attention by nurse. Secondary image: babies of diverse background on a blanket.
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Gestational diabetes is an abnormal increase in blood sugar levels that can adversely affect the health of both a pregnant woman and her baby. During 2012 – 2016, 4,017 (6.3%) of active component female service members who had live births were affected by gestational diabetes. Women aged 25-34 and 35-49 years had consistently higher annual prevalences of gestational diabetes than younger females. The percentage of pregnant service members affected by gestational diabetes was more than twice as high for obese women as for non-obese women (12.4% vs. 5.5%). The percentage of live births affected by gestational diabetes increased with increasing age and was highest among Asians/Pacific Islanders. Access the full report in the November 2017 MSMR (Vol. 24, No. 11). Go to: www.Health.mil/MSMR
This infographic documents the incidence and prevalence of gestational diabetes pregnant service members, active component, U.S. Armed Forces, 2012 – 2016.
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