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April 2015 Newsletter

Eight new anticancer thera- peutics have received FDA approval just since Decem- ber 2014. Among them, Therapeutic Advances for Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients by Michelle Stears tion in hormone receptor- positive, HER2-negative breast cancer patients. Palbociclib is the first CDK4/6 inhibitor to be approved by the FDA, a major step forward in prolong- ing disease remission AND reducing the toxicity of metas- tatic breast cancer treatment. Read the full American Associa- tion of Cancer Research article www.aacrfoundation.org/Science/ Pages/latest-therapeutic-advance- for-breast-cancer-palbociclib.aspx I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E : To Cold Cap or Not to Cold Cap 2 Rumpledethumps, a Cauliflower and Kale 3 Facing Cancer with Courage and Grace or Tears and Fears? 4 DOD Breast Cancer Research Program Needs Your Voice 5 Who is Kathy Levy? 6 Team Martina 7 I N F O R M E D & E M P O W E R E D A P R I L - J U N E 2 0 1 5S A R A S O T A - B R A D E N T O N SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:  Women’s Health News  Survivor Stories  Directory  Upcoming Girl Talk on Health Events Palbociclib (Ibrance) was ap- proved for use in combina- tion with letrozole for treat- ing postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor- positive, HER2-negative, me- tastatic breast cancer. In a Phase II clinical trial, palboci- clib added to letrozole (vs. letrozole alone) almost dou- bled the median time to dis- ease progression. Palbociclib blocks the function of two specific proteins that play a roll in driving cell multiplica- Lymphedema is caused by an abnormal accumulation of protein and water molecules in the tissue and results from the inability of the lymphatic system to perform one of its basic functions, the removal of water and protein from the body tissues. This insuffi- ciency can be caused by de- velopmental abnormalities of the lymphatic system (primary lymphedema), or damage to the lymphatic sys- tem such as the removal or radiation of lymph nodes in cancer surgery, or infection of the lymphatic system (secondary lymphedema). The highest incidence of sec- ondary lymphedema in the United States is observed Causes and Treatment of Lymphedema by Joachim E. Zuther, Educational Director Academy of Lymphatic Studies recognized “gold stan- dard” (2,3) treatment system for the vast majority of patients affected by lymphedema. CDT components include:  Manual Lymph Drainage (Continued on page 5) following surgery and radia- tion for malignancies, particu- larly among individuals af- fected by breast cancer. At the present, an estimated 227,000 new cases of breast cancer in females and 2200 in males are diagnosed in the United States annually (1). In order to reduce swelling, it is necessary to re-route the stagnated lymph flow around the blocked area(s) into more centrally located healthy lymph vessels. This goal is achieved by a combination of different treatment modali- ties, all of which are integral components of Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT), the internationally A P R I L - J U N E 201 5S A R A S O T A - B R A D E N T O N

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