Colleen's Dream Foundation the first "Young Investigator" grant...

Phoenix, AZ (press BOX) 10 July 2013

The recent "Young Investigator" research funding by Colleen's Dream Foundation at the Johns Hopkins University, to ovarian cancer research conducted by Dr. Felix Zeppernick of Johns Hopkins University Genetics Laboratory of the female reproductive cancer, be directed to Colleen's Dream Foundation President Billy Cundiff.

"One of the primary goals of Colleen's Dream Foundation is to work with Young Investigators at some of the top research hospitals and universities that make ovarian cancer," Cundiff said. "So we're thrilled to finance, will work Felix Zeppernick of Johns Hopkins University is under the direction of Dr."

Zeppernick, Molecular Genetics Laboratory of the female reproductive cancer working in the Johns Hopkins University, says that it was ovarian cancer research interests, when he was a medical student.

"I was interested in the cancer biology, when I was a medical student after receiving various lectures on the topic of listening", Zeppernick says. "I was fascinated by all the tricks, like a cancer cell can go to autonomous growth and human defenses." While I was told that the treatment of ovarian cancer is particularly difficult, even more interest in the topic has me always to patients and their families as young doctor."

Zeppernick says that he is just an "exciting" ovarian cancer research project.

"Employed at the Hopkins I on two very exciting projects", says Zeppernick. "It is known time, that women take a contraceptive pill and with a small number of lifetime risk have ovulation (E.g. due to pregnancies and lactation) ovarian cancer for a long time. We try to improve our understanding of these relationships."

Go on Colleen's Dream Foundation blog about ovarian cancer for the full interview with Dr. Felix Zeppernick.

Cundiff says that through the cooperation with John Hopkins University and starting capital offers cutting-edge research for young researchers like Dr. Zeppernick, Colleen's Dream Foundation Fund through some of the brightest young minds in the world,.

"The young researchers at Hopkins are some of the best and brightest minds in the world," Cundiff said. "This grant is the culmination of many months of hard work for Colleen's Dream Foundation and is the first of many that we will publish in 2013."

Executive Director Colleen's Dream Foundation, Billy Cundiffs wife Nicole, reflects his feelings.

"We are so proud, young researchers, such as Dr. Zeppernick, support," says Nicole. "These people are at the front and make cutting-edge discoveries that will affect the future of ovarian cancer. "My mother loved Baltimore, and so it is appropriate that our first grant given a young researcher at the Johns Hopkins will."

Go here that to learn about Johns Hopkins Ovarian Cancer Center.

ABOUT OVARIAN CANCER:

Ovarian cancer is often called the "silent killer" because many women discover their disease not up there in the late stages, which is that many women succumb to the disease within a short time leads. In contrast to cervical cancer or breast cancer, ovarian cancer does not have a standardized procedure for early detection. When it comes to women's health, ovarian cancer, proves one of the most deadly diseases.

ABOUT COLLEEN'S DREAM FOUNDATION:

Colleen's Dream Foundation started in the year 2012 and support improved research into the early detection and treatment of ovarian cancer. The story of Colleen's dream began in 2007 Colleen Drury - Nicole Cundiffs mother and Billy Cundiffs mother-in-law - ovarian cancer was diagnosed with late-stage. The family became aware of a new world, full of minimally invasive surgery, harsh chemotherapy and much uncertainty, and realized that they needed to help others that had to do with ovarian cancer.

Colleen's Dream Foundation believes that it is important to money for research leading tests reliable early detection and improved treatment of ovarian cancer. Because so little about ovarian cancer is known as compared to other women's health issues, there is an incredible opportunity for research and education.

Go here to learn more about Colleen's Dream Foundation.

Colleen's Dream Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) qualified tax free not-for profit organization headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

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Identify the social needs of young people with Cancer

Main category: Cancer / Oncology
Also included in: Pediatrics / children's health;??Psychology / Psychiatry
Article date: May 13, 2013 - 1:00 PDT current ratings for:
Identify the social needs of young people with Cancer

Research done by Xiao Cheng Wu, MD, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the tumor registry Louisiana at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health and colleagues, reports adolescents and young adults with cancer may be at greater risk of social isolation and a proportion of them with unmet social needs that could harm their health.

The research is published online in the Journal of adolescent and young adult Oncology. More than 500 participants in teen and Young Adult Health Outcomes patient study experience (AYA HOPE) conducted a survey on 6-14 months after diagnosis including questions about two social information needs - how about their experience of cancer with family and friends and meet other teens or young adults cancer patients/survivors. Patients have been identified through seven Surveillance, Epidemiology and End results (SEER) program sites: the States of Iowa and Louisiana. the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan and Seattle/Puget Sound, Washington; and three metropolitan areas in California: Los Angeles County, San Francisco/Oakland and Sacramento County. Participants were from 15 to 39 years at diagnosis and were diagnosed with cancer in this age group. The researchers examined variables such as the age at diagnosis, sex, ethnicity, education and status of health insurance at the time of diagnosis. They have studied the clinical factors, including treatment (radiation, chemotherapy and surgery), current overall health, the overall quality of care and the number of symptoms the previous month. Participants were invited on the global impact of their cancer on specific areas of their lives.

The research team found that the social information needs were higher among those who were in their twenties at the time of diagnosis - with 25% of statement needing help to talk about their cancer. About 43% of those Hispanics or 'other' ethnic group expressed the need to meet survivors peer. Those who were not in support of the group, had a large number of symptoms or other diseases, as well as the low perceived quality of care also need more help.

"Our results identify subgroups of teenagers and young adults who most need additional social support and suggest targets for clinical intervention," notes Dr. Wu.

Research has shown that cancer may limit the ability of these young patients at your new or maintain relations both in their development when homologous binding is the norm. Even when the patient support network is strong, current friends may not be able to meet the psychosocial needs because they do not understand the problems that come with a cancer diagnosis and treatment, further isolating the patient. Existing resources can be unknown, out of their financial reach, or unsuitable for these young people.

Proposed actions include the development of capable support programs for different phases of the cancer experience of providing services for a diverse age group, overcome geographical and financial barriers and lack of cultural diversity in the offerings, but also to increase awareness and access to support groups peer with other cancer patients and survivors. Improve awareness and access to a connection online through social media, as well as assistance to learn to share their experiences with their loved ones would also support support. The researchers say that the development of communication tools specifically for them can help these young patients express their needs and gain emotional relatives and friends support. It is also important to awareness of health and other professionals to these resources.

"With very little research in this area, understand what subgroups of the adolescent and young adult cancer patients have the most need and what they perceive their greatest must be is extremely important to adapt the interventions and programmes of support for them," note Dr. Wu, who leads one of the 18 cancer registries in the SEER registries are designated by the National Cancer Institute in the United States.

Article adapted by Medical News Today press release original. Click on "references" tab above for the source.
Visit our cancer / Oncology section for the latest news on this subject. In addition to Mr. Wu at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health, other authors of the AYA hope study Collaborative Group: researchers from the National Cancer Institute, Cancer Prevention Institute of California, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of Iowa, University of Southern California Keck School of medicine, Wayne State University School of Medicine, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute, with the support of the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
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Screening Mammography Performs Poorly in Young Women

Screening mammography in women under age 40 results in high rates of callbacks, low rates of cancer detection, and high rates of false-positive results, according to the results of a study published early online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.[1]?

Screening mammography refers to mammograms that are conducted in the absence of breast symptoms. The goal of screening mammography is to detect breast cancer at an early stage when it is most easily treated.

The performance of screening mammography is known to vary by age. Younger women are less likely than older women to have breast cancer, and more likely to experience some of downsides of screening such as false-positive test results. This has made it challenging to identify the optimal age at which screening should begin. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends that routine screening of average-risk women begin at age 50. The American Cancer Society recommends that screening begin at age 40.

Although a great deal of attention has focused on the performance of screening mammography among women over the age of 40, there has been little information available about how mammography performs in very young women—those under the age of 40. To address this question, researchers from the University of North Carolina pooled data from six mammography registries in the United States. Their data included 117,738 women who underwent their first mammogram between the ages of 18 and 39. The researchers then followed the women for a year to determine the accuracy of the tests, evaluate the recall rate, and measure the cancer detection rates. The study included women who had screening mammograms as well as those who underwent diagnostic mammograms (due to a symptom such as a lump).

The researchers found that mammography performance improved in the presence of a breast lump – for diagnostic mammograms, the rate of detection was 14.3 cancers per 1,000 women tested, whereas for screening mammograms, the rate of detection was 1.6 cancers per 1,000 women. The researchers found that the screening mammograms had poor accuracy and high rates of recall for further testing.

The authors concluded that “in a theoretical population of 10,000 women aged 35-39 years, 1,266 women who are screened will receive further workup, with 16 cancers detected and 1,250 women receiving a false-positive result.” They found no cancers in women under the age of 25 and a poor performance of screening mammography in women ages 35-39.

It should be noted that the researchers did not have complete family history information or information about BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation status, and were therefore not able to fully assess mammography performance in the subset of young women at high risk of breast cancer.

Women who have questions about when to begin breast cancer screening are advised to talk with their doctor.

Reference:

[1] Yankaskas BC, Haneuse S, Kapp JM, et al. Performance of first mammography examination in women younger than 40 years. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Published early online: May 3, 2010.

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Breast-Conserving Therapy Effective in Young Women with Breast Cancer

Two studies presented at the 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium provide evidence that breast-conserving therapy (lumpectomy plus radiation therapy) is as effective as mastectomy for young women with early-stage breast cancer. ?

Surgery for early-stage breast cancer may consist of mastectomy or lumpectomy. A?mastectomy involves removal of the entire breast, whereas a?lumpectomy?involves removal of the cancer and some surrounding tissue. A lumpectomy is usually followed by radiation therapy in order to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence in or near the breast. The combination of lumpectomy and radiation therapy is referred to as breast-conserving therapy. ?

Studies have indicated that mastectomy and breast-conserving therapy produce similar long-term survival among women with early-stage breast cancer. Some research has suggested, however, that young women may have a higher risk of breast cancer recurrence than older women after breast-conserving therapy. Concerns about recurrence risk may be contributing to the increasing use of mastectomy among young women.?

Two studies that will be presented at the 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium explore whether type of surgery affects outcomes among young women with breast cancer. The first study involved 628 women age 40 and younger who were treated for early-stage breast cancer at Massachusetts General Hospital.[1] ?

Risk of a local breast cancer recurrence (a recurrence in or near the breast) did not vary significantly by type of surgery. By five years, the risk of a local breast cancer recurrence was 4.6% among women treated with breast-conserving therapy and 8.5% among women treated with mastectomy. By ten years, the risk was 13.3% among women treated with breast-conserving therapy and 10.8% among women treated with mastectomy. ?

The second study collected information from a large national database about more than 14,000 breast cancer patients under the age of 40. [2] After accounting for patient and tumor characteristics, breast-conserving therapy and mastectomy produced similar overall survival. Ten-year overall survival was 83.5% among women treated with breast-conserving therapy and 83.6% among women treated with mastectomy.?

Together, these studies suggest that mastectomy and breast-conserving therapy produce similar outcomes among young women with early-stage breast cancer. Young women may wish to take this information into account when making decisions about breast cancer treatment.?

References: ??

[1] Buckley JM, Coopey S, Samphao S et al. Recurrence rates and long-term survival in women diagnosed with breast cancer at age 40 and younger. Paper presented at: 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium; September 8-10, 2011; San Francisco, CA. Abstract 70.?

[2] Mahmood U, Morris CG, Neuner GA et al. Equivalent survival with breast-conservation therapy or mastectomy in the management of young women with early-stage breast cancer. Paper presented at: 2011 Breast Cancer Symposium; September 8-10, 2011; San Francisco, CA. Abstract 85.?

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