My Cancer Type

A Breast That May Not Need Surgery?

Posted on Oct 2, 2015 in My Cancer Type, Research

It seems perfect to celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month with news about a breast condition that may benefit from more awareness — and less treatment. The time may have come to start treating some DCIS like early prostate cancer — watching and waiting instead of treating. Some women with low grade DCIS and low risk tumor genomes may not need surgery. A 23-year retrospective study of 57,222 women found that surgery on low grade DCIS did not save lives from breast cancer. Instead, these women could be managed with watchful waiting (also called active surveillance). Who does this...

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Ask the Doctor: Soy And Breast Cancer

Posted on Oct 4, 2014 in My Cancer Type

Q:  I’m a 3 year survivor of estrogen sensitive breast cancer. I read conflicting news about soy. Should I eat soy or avoid it? A: When we review all the large nutritional studies together, the conclusion is clear. Soy does not increase the risk of recurrence for any type of breast cancer. Breast cancer survivors do not need to avoid soy. For an excellent review of the science, read this article by naturopathic oncologist Dr. Tina Kaczor.  So, the choice of whether or not to eat soy is up to you. If you do eat soy, choose organic to avoid genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Click...

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Breast Cancer: Know Your Type, Discover Your Options

Posted on May 30, 2014 in My Cancer Type

Breast Cancer: Know Your Type, Discover Your Options A new breast cancer diagnosis brings a lot of information. The good news is that the prognosis is good when breast cancer is caught early. For advanced breast cancers, there are still many treatment options. When making treatment decisions, it is important to know your breast cancer type. Some breast cancers respond to hormone therapy, while others don’t. Chemotherapy is beneficial for some tumors and not others. It’s also helpful to develop an overall approach before beginning treatment. For example, some types of surgery need...

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Coriolus Lengthens Life in Breast, Colon, and Gastric Cancer

Posted on Jun 12, 2013 in My Cancer Type, Research

For every 11 people who breast, colon, or gastric cancer who take coriolus, 1 more person will be alive 5 years later. This result is from a metanalysis of 13 clinical trials. To put this effect in perspective, let’s compare it to some other therapies used in these cancers. Breast: To extend 3 years of life for 1 woman, 8-17 women have to take Herceptin at a total cost of $450,000 to $4 million. Colon: To extend 3 years of life for 1 person with stage III cancer, 14 have to take FOLFOX chemotherapy for 24 weeks. Clearly, coriolus is a safe, effective, and affordable integrative...

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Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia?

Posted on Jun 12, 2013 in My Cancer Type

Nutrition Facts – Why Less Breast Cancer in Asia? – By  Michael Greger M.D. Though breast cancer is the most common cancer among women around the world, the rate in some areas of the world, such as Asia, is up to six-fold lower than in North America. Maybe it’s the green tea and soy? As I show in my 3-min. video Why Do Asian Women Have Less Breast Cancer?, if anything, green tea may only drop risk by about a third. Soy works better, but only, it appears, if you start young. Soy intake throughout the lifecycle is associated with decreased breast cancer risk, but the...

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