The Springfield News-Leader from Springfield, Missouri • Page A5

News-Leader Wednesday, October 3, 2012 5A Postpartum breast cancers perplexing to medical field FOR LIFE Pfnk Women at more risk in 5 years after having child SHOWYOUR SUPPORT! Calendar of EVENTS Mark Your Calendars! Christina Miller, 39, plays with her 18-month-old daughter Nora at a Bethesda, park. The mother of three was diagnosed with breast cancer in January, maxing parksusa Today Make plans now i to attend Barnyard Days October 5 6 and 7 in Neo sho! This family- By Liz Szabo USA Today BROOKEVILLE, Md. Christina Miller had just finished her second chemotherapy treatment when she began to lose her hair. It was a Saturday morning, half an hour before she had to leave the house to take her son to a birthday party, when she realized, "I couldn't go any longer without doing something about my hair," said Miller, 39, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. She handed her husband the hair clippers and asked him to shave her head.

Although the decision had been difficult, Miller said the process itself felt liberating. "My little 4-year-old looks up at me and gives me the biggest hug," said Miller, who is from Ellicott City, Md. "And he says, 'You're still the best-loo-kin' Thanks to recent advances in therapy and support from her friends and family Miller said she's coping well with the dual demands of fighting cancer and raising three children, Alexandra, 5, Thomas Joseph (T.J.), 4, and Nora, IV2. "There's never a good time to get breast cancer, but the postpartum period is particularly challeng- oriented festival will include a single mic competition on Saturday and Sunday, arts and crafts, horse back rides and fun for the whole family! Visit for more information. Get a Pink Bagel Today! Panera Pink Ribbon Bagels On sale now! 25 cents of each bagel benefits BCFO at all needs to shrink back to normal size, and the extra cells created during pregnancy and milk production have to go away.

The body choreographs this "remodeling" partly by turning on a process similar to that used in healing wounds, said Patricia Ganz, a professor at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Breast-feeding for at least six months reduces a woman's breast cancer risk, although doctors can't say with certainty how this works, Ganz said. Most of the time, the inflammation process goes smoothly. By age 35 or 40, the precancerous changes in a woman's breasts may be too advanced to simply slough off after breastfeeding. Even worse, these abnormal cells may be stimulated by the inflammatory chemicals.

ing," said Miller's oncologist, Claudine Isaacs, a professor at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. "With a baby, you're so protective, and you're supposed to be this even, comforting presence. Yet now, you have to wonder about your future." For reasons doctors don't completely understand, a woman's risk of breast cancer increases in the five years or so after she has a child, said Pepper Schedin, a professor at the University of Colorado in Denver. These cancers also tend to be aggressive. It's likely that the hormones of pregnancy play a role, said Eric Winer, director of breast oncology at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Hormonal surges may speed up the growth of a pre-existing cancer, leading a woman to be diagnosed sooner than she might have been if she had never been pregnant. Miller, who was still breast-feeding Nora when she was diagnosed, said her toddler now has no memory of her mom being anything but bald. "What I want them to remember is that Mom might have looked different, but she was still involved in our daily lives." Having a baby early in life lowers a woman's lifetime risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer but increases her short-term risk of postpartum cancer, Schedin said. In the past, scientists assumed that postpartum cancers were mainly fueled by the hormones of pregnancy. Schedin's work suggests inflammation also plays a role.

The immune system becomes active in the breast when women wean. That's a time of dramatic change, when the breast area Panera stores including Branson! Big Thank You! mank you. Mama Jean's for sup porting BCFO. Dur- ing the month of Natural wiiuuei, iviuiiiu Jean's is matching donation can monies raised up to $250. Visit Mama Jean's to participate! Study claims estrogen use in early menopause has benefits Sponsored by M6rCyf Researchers caution small size of study, say hormones are for severe cases only experts to think some hormones might help certain women, and that the type and dose might matter.

The new study tested that. It enrolled about 700 healthy women ages 42 to 58 within three years of menopause. Women need to realize the new study is much less definitive than the big federal one that found more lung and breast cancer deaths among women on estrogen-progestin pills, said one researcher involved in the earlier work, Dr. Rowan Chlebowski of the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. It would be unwise to try to prevent certain health problems by using a treatment "that increased the two leading causes of cancer deaths in women," he said.

helped prevent heart problems and were good for bones and minds. That changed in 2002, when a big federal study was stopped because women taking estrogen-progestin pills had higher rates of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Critics pounced on the study's limitations. Participants were well past menopause 63 on average and most were not seeking symptom relief. Many were overweight and smokers, and at higher risk of heart disease to start with.

Only one type of pill in one dose was tested. Women who could take estrogen alone those who had had hysterectomies did not have the risks women on the combination hormone pills did. In fact, they had lower rates of breast cancer. These factors led many effects of hormones on women's health. The advice remains the same: Use hormones only for severe symptoms not to prevent bone loss or aging-related problems at the lowest dose for the shortest time possible.

"The benefits outweigh the risks when hormone therapy is used for symptom management with relatively short-term treatment," said Dr. JoAnn Manson, preventive medicine chief at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. She was a study leader and will discuss results Wednesday at a conference of the North American Menopause Society in Orlando, Fla. For decades, doctors believed hormone pills By Marilynn Marchione Associated Press A new study may reassure some women considering short-term use of hormones to relieve hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. Starting low-dose treatment early in menopause made women feel better and did not seem to raise heart risks during the four-year study.

However, the research didn't address the risk of breast cancer, perhaps the biggest fear women have about hormones since a landmark study a decade ago. The new one was too small and too short for that. Still, it is the first fresh research in many years on the sometimes confusing Hats Off To Mammograms THE POWER of Guaranty Featuring Mercy Breast Center and Eric Gnezda 6-8 p.m. Tuesday October 16, 2012 Mercy Hospital Mc Au ley Conference Center 1235 E. Cherokee, Springfield Convenient parking is located south of thebuilding.

Join Mercy Breast Center and nationally known singer, songwriter and entertainer Eric Gnezda to celebrate breast cancer survivorship with his "Blossoms of Hope" presentation, which will be humorous and interactive. Eric will also be singing the "Blossoms of Hope" song he wrote, in honor of cancer survivors. If you are a breast cancer survivor and you're interested in joining Eric and other survivors in singing "Blossoms of Hope" at the end of the program, call 417-820-2588. This event is free and open to everyone. No registration is required.

Invite your friends and enjoy the fellowship and refreshments. For more information, call 888-8888 or 1-800-909-8326. Check our online calendar at mercy.net for additional events! Mercy Women's Health Forums are presented by Mercy Women's Services. Of THE CZAR onnn 00UL np.nn uuu'j uuu DEBIT i 1 4791 GOOD WHO VISA, Guaranty Bank Show your support for the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks with a Pink Visa Debit Card from Guaranty Bank. Open a Guaranty 417-520-4333 Bank checking account and we will make a donation to BCFO every WWW.gbunkmO.

CO 171 time you complete a signature-based debit card transaction. $50 minimum required. Current checking account customers will incur a $5 fee to replace an existing check card. LENDER MEMBER FHC Mercy www.bcfo Org Giving Help and Hope to Families Impacted by Breast Cancer.