Kentucky Women: Power, Passion and Politics

Women can't afford to save their own lives

Despite the benefits of regular mammograms, increasing numbers of women are NOT getting recommended mammograms.

This study suggests that cost may be the main cause of this trend. How unfortunate...how very unfortunate.  This issue must continue to be addressed.

You can read the entire article HERE

Even small copay deters mammogram use

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Reuters) - Requiring even a small co-payment dramatically reduces the likelihood that women will get regular mammograms to detect breast cancer, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Screening rates from 2001 through 2004 were nearly 11 percent lower for women who had to contribute a co-pay as low as $12, compared to women whose mammograms were free, researchers from Brown and Harvard universities found.

"I think it's a surprising result," said Dr. Amal Trivedi of Brown, who led the study. "Most people would consider $12 to be a rather modest sum. But when it came to this population, co-payments as low as $12 led to a very sharp decrease in the breast cancer screening rate."

[...]

Breast cancer was diagnosed in 178,000 U.S. women in 2007, and killed more than 40,000, according to the American Cancer Society, which recommends regular mammograms for women over 40.

The researchers surveyed more than 366,000 women aged 65 to 69. They found that mammography rates were about 4 percent lower for women living in areas where the people were poor or poorly educated, if they were required to pay part of the cost. Most plans require a $20 co-payment.

In 2001 only one woman in 200 was required to make a co-pay for a mammogram. By 2004 the ratio was 1 in 9.

[...]

But even though nearly all women know the value of mammograms, many did not get them when they had to pay.

"The findings suggest that the introduction of a small out-of-pocket expense led 8 percent of consumers to opt out of mammography - a decision that, on average, was not in the best interest of their health," Bach wrote in a commentary.

[...]

Mammograms, ultrasounds, MRI's or all three?

Early detection for breast cancer saves lives as I have stated to everyone I have spoken with about my own breast cancer.

Now going through cancer treatment after my surgery, I'll take the chance of having a false positive test any day rather than not have breast cancer screenings.

One of the concerns regarding adding breast ultrasounds and breast MRI's to early screenings is that it increases the possibility of false positive tests.

I did not have an ultrasound but I did have the initial mammogram, a diagnostice mammogram, a breast needle biopsy and the breast MRI.

Here's the article which appeared in Reuters Health.  You can read the entire piece HERE.

Ultrasound boosts breast cancer detection

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Using ultrasound in addition to mammography helped doctors spot significantly more breast cancers in high-risk women compared with mammograms alone, but it also resulted in four times as many false alarms, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

"Mammograms saw only half of the breast cancers that were present. If we added ultrasound to mammography, we saw 78 percent of the cancers," said Dr. Wendie Berg of American Radiology Services at Johns Hopkins Green Spring in Lutherville, Maryland, who led the study.

Berg said most of the cancers they found with ultrasound were small invasive cancers that had not yet spread to the lymph nodes. "These are types of cancers that we most need to be finding," said Berg, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

"Ultrasound does very well at finding invasive cancer," she said in a telephone interview.

The study was designed to see whether ultrasound might improve the chances of finding breast cancer in high-risk women with dense breast tissue, which makes cancer harder to see on a standard mammogram, a type of X-ray.

[...]

Adding ultrasound increased the rate of false positives fourfold. About one in 40 women who got a mammogram alone had an unnecessary biopsy, Berg said. In the group that got both a mammogram and an ultrasound, that rose to 1 in 10 women.

[...]

She and colleagues plan to do a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether it makes sense to add ultrasound as a routine test for high-risk women. The results are from the first year of a three-year study. In the third year, some of the women also got an advanced test known as a breast MRI.

Some studies have shown a breast MRI can detect breast cancers very early in high-risk women, but they cost $1,000 to $1,500 per test and are currently only recommended for women at extremely high risk of breast cancer. Breast MRIs also have a high rate of false positives.

"Whether in the long run ultrasound or breast MRI will be more appropriate for this purpose remains to be seen," Dr. Christiane Kuhl of the University of Bonn, Germany, wrote in a commentary

Increased number of new cancer patients boosts drugs sales

While the statistics regarding cancer drug sales are amazing, however one of the reasons behind it is frightening.....an astounding number of new cancer patients.

Reuters has the story.  You can read the entire piece HERE

Cancer drug sales could hit $80 billion by 2011

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sales of cancer drugs will grow at nearly double the rate of the global pharmaceutical market and could reach $80 billion by 2012, according to IMS Health, which tracks prescription drug sales

Expensive new treatments, an increasing number of patients on chemotherapy in major markets and evidence that more people in emerging markets are gaining access to modern targeted therapies will contribute to sales of cancer drugs growing at a compound rate of 12 to 15 percent, IMS said.

In 2008, sales of oncology products will exceed $48 billion, contributing nearly 17 percent of global pharmaceutical sales growth this year, according to the IMS Global Oncology Forecast released on Thursday.

[...]

IMS expects growth to be fueled by the introduction of 25 to 30 new chemical entities between 2008 and 2012, as expensive new biotechnology drugs and the increasing use of combination therapies contribute to the exploding cost of treatment.

[...]

Women carrying the burden...

Women will bear the brunt of a worsening economy and are more worried than men are about their economic security, the Institute for Women's Policy Research concluded in a May 8 report.

One in 8 women could not afford to take a child to the doctor last year; 1 in 5 could not afford to fill a prescription; and 1 in 14 went hungry at some time last year because of a lack of money.

Using data drawn from the Rockefeller Foundation's American Workers Survey, the report found that women express fears about not having enough savings for retirement or being able to care for family members at higher rates than men. Women of color have the greatest hardship risk.

A little Java for a Cause

From my great pals over at Page One Kentucky weblog...

Give Back Saturday if You’re in Louisville

We may seem like heartless critics of politicians and media types, but we do like to contribute something of value to our world. So we’re jumping at the chance to promote something that does some good.

Especially when the beneficiary is a cancer research organization, given that our families have been touched in many ways by cancer. So tomorrow, May 10, the good folks at Java Brewing Company on Frankfort Avenue (where many Page One/Ville Voice rants originate) in Louisville will host a yard sale, with the proceeds to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer - Pediatric Cancer Research. Java will also donate 10% of its sales to the foundation.

You might remember the horse Afleet Alex, who finished third in the 2005 Derby before winning the Preakness and Belmont, and the news that was generated when its owners donated a portion of the horse’s winnings to the cause. The organization was even allowed to set up a stand at Churchill Downs.

Other businesses on Frankfort Avenue are encouraged to participate by donating a portion of their proceeds on Saturday to the foundation, which has raised more than $18 million.

Come by to help out a good cause.

"The vaccine is grounded in solid science"...

Study Links HPV to Lung Cancer

Despite Threat of Lung Cancer, Conservatives Still Don't Want Their Kids Vaccinated

By RUSSELL GOLDMAN

April 28, 2008—

A newly published study links the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus, or HPV, to lung cancer, adding lungs to the list of organs scientists say are susceptible to cancer as a result of contracting the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.

Recent studies have found connections between HPV and cancers of the mouth and throat, but the University of Louisville study released late last week is the first to associate the infection with lung cancer.

HPV has long been known to result in cancers of the sex organs, particularly the cervix, and a vaccine targeting young women and girls was introduced in the United States in 2006.

Conservative parents and activists have condemned the vaccine, marketed under the name Gardasil, since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year, claiming it would -- like easily available condoms -- encourage young people to engage in promiscuous sex.

[...]

According to the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention, some 20 million Americans are infected with HPV, and another 6.2 million become newly infected every year. Some strains of the disease result in genital warts, but other strains can, over time, develop into cancer.

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008, 11,070 women will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in the United States.

[...}

Though the study is the first to note the combined effects of smoking and HPV on the lungs, doctors have known for a while that women who smoke and contract HPV are more likely to develop cervical cancer than nonsmokers, said Dr. Lauren F. Streicher, an OB/GYN and professor at Northwestern Medical School.

"Smoking plays a key role in the rate of conversion to malignancy in cervical cancer too," she said. "Seventy to 80 percent of women are exposed to HPV, but less than 1 percent of women get cervical cancer. We know lesions on the cervix are more likely to become cancerous in smokers."

[...]

Source:  ABC News

The Kentucky Commission on Women

I am hoping that the Kentucky Commission on Women under the direction of Eleanor Jordan will take an active role sometime soon.  I'm on their email distribution list but so far I have seen nothing to indicate that the Commission is ready to take an active role in addressing the status of women in Kentucky.

I want to add that I think Ms. Jordan is quite capable of taking the Commission to the level it once was and beyond but may need support and assistance in articulating her vision.  I've heard from close friends that she is great person.

Could it be that the Commission's Board is stacked with former Governor Ernie Fletcher's (R) appointees who need to be replaced by Governor Steve Beshear?  If this is the case, then Beshear needs to act on this immediately.

While I'm certain the Commission did not send out the following press release, my other suggestion would be for the Commission's PR person to send out a professional press release which outlines the meeting's agenda, lists items to be discussed or even a short paragraph detailing the purpose of the meeting. 

As relevant and powerful as this Commission once was in making positive changes in the political landscape in Kentucky, it deserves more than this naked announcement.

Allow me to remind you that Kentucky ranks as the third worst state for women to reside.  Perhaps that is the starting point for this newly formed Commission.

This is the press release as it was forwarded to me including the typos...

Commonwealth of Kentucky

office of the goverNor

Kentucky Commission on Women
700 Capitol Avenue, Suite 137, Frankfort, KY  40601
Telephone Number:  (502) 564-2611   Fax Number:  (502) 564-2853
KCW@ky.gov
www.women.ky.gov
 
Steven L. Beshear                                                     Eleanor Jordan
Governor                                                                 Executive Director
 

MEDIA ADVISORY
May 8, 2008
Contact:
Crystal Martzall
502-564-2611
 
Kentucky Commission on Women Quarterly Meeting
 
WHO:
Kentucky Commission on Women
 
WHAT:
Quarterly Meeting
 
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern time

WHERE:
Transportation Cabinet Building
Conference Room 107 A&B
Frankfort, Ky.

Here's one more reason...

I've often wondered why women need to be scolded and lectured repeatedly about the evils of smoking.  Do they really need to be convinced to help save their own life?  I don't get it.

You can read about another report researchers have released HERE.

Quick Benefit to Smoking Halt, With a Caveat, Study Finds

CHICAGO (Reuters) — Women who stop smoking can enjoy major health benefits within five years, but it can take decades to correct respiratory damage and shed the added risk of lung cancer, researchers reported on Tuesday.

Those who stopped had a 13 percent reduction in the risk of death from all causes, including heart and vascular problems, within the first five years, the study found. After 20 years, the risk of death from any cause was the same for those who quit as for those who had never smoked.

For deaths due specifically to respiratory diseases, there was an 18 percent reduction within 5 to 10 years of quitting, reaching the level found in nonsmokers after 20 years.

But while there was a 21 percent reduction in the risk of lung cancer death within five years, it took 30 years for that excess risk to disappear.

[...]

Potential benefits of more frequent screening for breast cancer

Another study being reported regarding the importance of early detection.

You can read the entire piece HERE

Five percent of breast tumors may double in month

By Michael Kahn

LONDON (Reuters) - Five percent of breast cancer tumors appear to double in size in just over a month, Norwegian researchers said on Thursday in a study underscoring the potential benefits of more frequent screening.

The study published in the journal Breast Cancer Research also suggested detection rates of just 26 percent for a 5 mm tumor, and 91 percent for a 10 mm tumor.

The researchers used a computer model fed with national screening and cancer data to calculate how quickly tumors grow and estimate the proportion of breast cancers detected at screening.

[...]

They said their findings could help in the debate over how often women should get mammograms. Some countries offer mammograms only once every three years and studies have provided conflicting evidence over whether mammograms save lives.

There is no question, experts say, that breast cancer detected earlier is far easier to treat, however.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women worldwide, according to the American Cancer Society. The group estimates about 465,000 women died from it globally in 2007, with 1.3 million new cases diagnosed.

Declining death rates from breast cancer in developed countries have been attributed to early detection through mammography screening and to improved treatment, it said.

A big thank you to Barefoot and Progressive

Thanks to my dear friends over at the weblog, Barefoot and Progressive for helping to promote the upcoming "Spring Fling" fundraiser for Check Your Genes.org

The memory of Judge Judy West lives on and her daughter Nancy Romer is working hard to help save the lives of so many as she battles her own cancer.

Please visit Check Your Genes.org for more information about their scheduled fundraiser.

Early detection to overcome cultural issues

A statewide project to encourage Amish and Mennonite women to undergo regular breast exams is working to overcome cultural and transportation issues to reduce the high number of deaths from breast cancer in the two populations.

Researcher Melissa Thomas founded Project Hoffnung after discovering that health screenings for Amish and Mennonite women in rural Ohio weren't widely accessible, and that many didn't take advantage of mobile medical screening units. The project, whose name comes from the German word for hope, has provided services, including mammograms, to more than 1,500 women over the last decade and has also worked to educate Amish and Mennonite women on the importance of regular breast self-exams, she said.

Amish will ride in cars, but it can be expensive to pay for someone to drive to and from a hospital. Also, many health care agencies have toll-free numbers, but in some Amish and Mennonite communities, the nearest phone is a few miles down the road, said Thomas.

Thomas has worked to link local agencies with Amish women, and Project Hoffnung has also received more than $500,000 in grants that have gone toward the costs of mammograms, transportation and follow-up care.

Breast Cancer Advocates Applaud Senator Reid As he takes the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act to the Floor

Kentucky will soon have the opportunity and the responsibility to vote for a U.S. Senator to join Sen. Harry Reid (D) and other Washington legislators in the ongoing, necessary battle to make breast cancer a legislative priority. 

In just a few short weeks, Democrats will be casting a vote for either Bruce Lunsford or Greg Fischer in the Primary election. 

This year in the United States, more than 214,000 are expected to be diagnosed with breast cancer. There are more than three million women in this country who are living with a breast cancer diagnosis.

Be sure to vote!  Your life and the lives of thousands of women are depending on Kentucky to send a Senator to Washington who will address this issue aggressively...

“Too many women and their families have waited too long for Congress to act…. It is time to offer more than words of encouragement to those affected by breast cancer…this legislation gives them hope that something can be done to find a cause and hopefully a cure.”

National Breast Cancer Coalition Honors Majority Leader for His Leadership on Breast Cancer  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                    May 1, 2008                                                             Washington, D.C.--The National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC), a grassroots advocacy group of hundreds of organizations and tens of thousands of individuals, applauds Senator Reid for taking the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act (S.579) to the Senate Floor on April 29.  NBCC’s president Fran Visco noted:  “I am grateful to Senator Reid, one of NBCC’s stalwart champions, for his long-standing commitment to enacting the Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Act  (S.579).  The Majority Leader has vowed to get this bill passed this year, and he has on two occasions brought it to the Floor of the U.S. Senate for a vote, and each time one Republican Senator stopped the bill from moving forward.  We thank Senator Reid for his leadership, determination and persistence.  NBCC is confident that he will be successful in overcoming this barrier so that this important bill can be passed this year.” [...] Earlier on April 29, The National Breast Cancer Coalition honored Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) with a Leadership Award for making breast cancer a legislative priority.  [...] The National Breast Cancer Coalition is a grassroots organization dedicated to ending breast cancer through the power of action and advocacy. The Coalition's main goals are to increase federal funding for breast cancer research and collaborate with the scientific community to implement new models of research; improve access to high quality health care and breast cancer clinical trials for all women; and expand the influence of breast cancer advocates wherever breast cancer decisions are made.

The Big Brother assault on pregnant women

Advocates for women’s health need to watch for similar legislation in their own states.  "Anti-choicers in Oklahoma have pushed through a bill that requires doctors to perform invasive ultrasounds, even if the patients say no."

The following appears on Alternet.  You can read the entire piece HERE

New Oklahoma Law: Women Seeking Abortions Must Have Ultrasounds Against Their Will

The Oklahoma State Legislature is playing doctor again. Last year they dictated how specialists at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center may care for pregnant women who have medical complications. This week, despite intense lobbying efforts and the Governor’s veto, the legislature passed Senate Bill 1878, which mandates invasive and unnecessary medical testing for women.

Under the guise of obtaining informed patient consent, this new law requires doctors to withhold pregnancy termination until an ultrasound is performed. The law states that either an abdominal or vaginal ultrasound, whichever gives the best image of the fetus, must be done. Neither the patient nor the doctor can decide which type of ultrasound to use, and the patient cannot opt out of the ultrasound and still have the procedure. In effect, then, the legislature has mandated that a woman have an instrument placed in her vagina for no medical benefit. The law makes no exception for victims of rape and incest.

[...]

"Know your past to improve your future"

Judge Judy West died of breast cancer February 19, 1991, at age 49.

During her life, Judge West had a remarkable impact on many people including family, friends and colleagues. Perhaps her most important contribution was leading the way for women in the legal profession and judiciary in the state of Kentucky. She was the first female Judge appointed to Kenton District Court (1980) and also the first female Court of Appeals Judge (1987).

Genetic testing was not available at the time of her death, 1991, but became available in 1996. Knowing about the genetic link between breast and ovarian cancer, when a strong family history exists, could have made a difference in Judy's daughter, Nancy Romer's, life.

In 2001, Nancy was diagnosed with stage IIIC ovarian cancer at the age of 32.  On October 1st, 2001, she woke up from what should have been a routine surgery to learn she had ovarian cancer. She had undergone a complete emergency hysterectomy and de-bulking surgery on her colon, bladder and diaphragm.

So now Judy's children want to help others know their past to improve their future. Educating the public, primary care physicians and OB/GYN's about the need for genetic testing if a strong family history exists is our mission.

Thus, Check Your Genes.org was created.

The mission of this wonderful organization is "to educate the public and physicians on the need for genetic testing if an individual has a significant family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer."

It's an honor to help promote the first fundraiser for Check Your Genes.org

The information for the fundraiser is below and you can find out more about this incredible opportunity and organization at their website. 

Join us and help support our First Annual Spring Fling Fundraiser

Friday, May 16th, 2008

7:00 pm - 12:30 am

The Syndicate, Newport, KY

We are having our First Annual Spring Fling event to raise funds to support our mission to educate the public and physicians on the need for genetic testing, if an individual has a significant family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer.

Enjoy an evening of appetizers, cash bar, music and live/silent auctions throughout the evening featuring an acoustic guitarist and The New Lime band.

There are a number of ways to help make this event a success.

• Attend
• Be a sponsor
• Donate
• Donate a silent/live auction items

Please print out the invitation below or contact us at 859.992.2447 to reserve your spot!

Greg Fischer's campaign is a slap in the face to anyone in Kentucky who cares about women's health

"We urge you to remove your personal attack ad from the air immediately, take the high road and spend the final weeks of the primary running a campaign focused on why you are right for the job"

These are the harsh words of prominent Democrats in Kentucky; elected officials who are well-respected. 

The message from Louisville Congressman John Yarmuth; Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo; Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway; and state Auditor Crit Luallen is aimed at Democrat Greg Fischer who has chosen to spend campaign time attacking his Democratic colleague, candidate Bruce Lunsford instead of talking to the voters about issues facing Kentuckians.

The words of Yarmuth, Mongiardo, Conway and Luallen are precise and accurate. 

Greg Fischer has yet to tell the good people of the Commonwealth what he stands for and how he will address the numerous problems facing Kentuckians if elected to the U.S. Senate.

Greg Fischer has yet to tell the voters something meaningful about where he stands on women's health issues.

You see Mr. Fischer, breast cancer is a political issue.

And women, like myself, with breast cancer have become politically active to help save the lives of others. Why?  Because I don't know how to prevent breast cancer.  I don't know how to help the many women who are under- or uninsured therefore aren't having annual mammograms.  And just as importantly, I don't know how to cure it.

But the federal government has a huge role to play in getting those answers. As a candidate for the U.S. Senate, you have the responsibility to look me in the eye and tell me what you are going to do to help save the lives of women diagnosed with breast cancer. 

So, Mr. Fischer, what are you going to do?

It is now abundantly clear that you have no answers.  You have no plan.  You constantly attack a great man like Bruce Lunsford because you are incapable of telling 3 million women in the United States living with breast cancer and the families of the 40,000 women who died last year from breast cancer what you will do.

Kentucky does not need you, Mr. Fischer.  The United States does not need you.