06-21-2023 Primetime Living - Flipbook - Page 5
A Special Advertising Section of Baltimore Sun Media Group | Wednesday, June 21, 2023
ally lasts five to six months. Women’s
greatest worry about chemotherapy is
losing their hair and, yes, most will, but
with chemotherapy we can get to a place
where they can have a less aggressive
surgery. Studies have shown that women
who respond really well to chemotherapy
have a better long-term survival. Our goal
is to personalize each woman’s treatment
and get her the best results.
“When treating breast cancer patients,
we use a multi-disciplinary approach by
including the surgeon, oncologist, radiation oncologist, radiologist, pathologist,
social workers, physical therapists, nurse
navigators, and patient advocates. We
also want to know what concerns them
after they are diagnosed. That stress, that
anxiety, affects how they do in treatment.
We use a ‘distress thermometer,’ a form
that helps them identify and narrow down
what, exactly, is worrying them. Is it spiritual? A problem with her family? Her job?
Once the form is completed, we understand what they’re going through, how
best to address these issues, what extra
support they may need, and/or if a support
group would help. We want to eliminate
as much of this stress as possible so they
don’t have to worry about those issues,
and they can put all their focus on getting
well.”
Risks
There are lots of women who will die
with breast cancer and never knew they
had it. With older women, they may have
watched someone go through treatment,
go in for a biopsy and end up with only
one breast. Today, no one will do anything like that without talking about it first.
Women are far more involved in their treatment than in the past.
Who needs to be screened for breast
cancer? “It affects young mothers and
85-year-old widows,” says Rajarajan. “In
other words, anyone can be diagnosed
with breast cancer. It is why we push all
women to have regular mammograms. We
have to educate them on the disease and
try to guide them to the best solution, the
best decision that is in their best interest.”
Most women develop breast cancer
sporadically, which means it happens by
chance. And even if you have risk factors,
developing breast cancer may or may
not happen. Underlying causes may be a
combination of factors.
What are the risk factors you need to
have to be diagnosed with breast cancer?
There are three:
• Age is at the top of the list,
usually after 50.
• Second, if you have cancer in one
breast, you have a higher risk of
developing it in the other breast.
• Third, certain family histories, such as
multiple generations, a male relative
with breast cancer (about one percent of men), and Ashkenazi Jewish
ancestry.
ASCO says, “Inherited breast cancers are less common, making up about
10% of cancers and they occur due
to gene mutations that should stop
the cancer from occurring but don’t.
You may have heard of these genes:
BRCA1, BRCA2, and PALB2.”
Have confidence in
every conversation.
Do you find it difficult to use a standard phone? Do people ask you to repeat yourself
during telephone conversations? Do you miss important calls because you can’t hear
the phone ring? The Maryland Accessible Telecommunications (MAT) program is
here to help by giving Maryland residents the opportunity to apply for State-provided
telecommunications equipment to independently make and receive calls. Once you
qualify, a skilled evaluator meets with you to determine the best device to support your
day-to-day communications. The MAT program has a variety of equipment solutions to
support clearer communication, including:
•
•
•
Amplified phones
Tablets
Ring signalers
•
•
•
Phones with large and/or high contrast buttons
Captioned Telephones
And more
For more information:
800-552-7724 | 410-767-7253 (Voice/TTY)
410-801-9618 (Video Phone) | MDMAT.org
5
“Eighty percent of women are not
high risk. If you are at high risk,” says
Rajarajan, “there are things we can do,
like additional screenings and exams.
If there is an extensive family history of
breast cancer or male family members
with breast cancer you should probably
think about getting genetic testing and
enroll in a high-risk clinic, so they are
checked regularly.
Across a lifetime, a woman has a one
in eight chance of getting breast cancer.
If it happens to you, it is not a death sentence. Most women will undergo treatment and go back to the life they had
beforehand. Even so, make sure you
have regular mammograms and know
your family history.
Doctors like Rajarajan are caring and
devoted to doing the best they can for
their patients. You can be sure they have
your best interests at heart, and you
will be well taken care of. You can’t ask
for more.
