This week is National Women’s Health Week. In honor of this important health awareness week, the Women’s Health Research Institute recently hosted the third annual Celebrating National Women’s Health Week event at Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago, IL. Activities included keynote speaker, Holly Herrington, MS, RD, LDN, from the Center for Lifestyle Medicine, a poster session featuring current research in women’s health, and exhibitors from in and around Chicago promoting women’s health through advocacy, research, and/or education. Approximately 400 people attended this event, making this year the most successful turnout yet!

Anxious to take part in this fantastic event bringing awareness to gender specific health issues and organizations, we signed up to participate alongside two dozen other groups promoting women’s health. Exhibiting next to us was a local organization called SHINE, which provides infertility group support in Chicago for men and women experiencing fertility struggles. Together, we proved to be a popular stop for health care professionals, specifically nurses, eager to bring fertility preservation information back to their patients. Recognizing fertility as a critical component of patient care, they expressed their gratitude for the Consortium’s efforts to educate clinicians about the value of discussing reproductive health outcomes with newly diagnosed pediatric, adolescent, and young adult cancer patients, and their parents when appropriate.

While perusing the exhibit tables, attendees were also exposed to a poster session displaying the latest in women’s health research. Woodruff Lab members presented their research to captivated audiences eager to learn more about the future of women’s reproductive health. Another Woodruff Enterprise making its mark at the poster session was the Women’s Health Science Program (WHSP), providing science education programs to females from underserved communities. WHSP targets young women who are considering careers in science and medicine and prepares them with valuable knowledge and skills to successfully become the next generation of women science leaders.

At noon, keynote speaker, Holly Herrington, RD, LDN, a Registered Dietitian in the Center for Lifestyle Medicine at Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation, took the stage to discuss how women should be eating to maintain optimal health at every age. Holly’s presentation centered on helping attendees understand how nutritional needs for women evolve across their lifespan, and how they change based on different health and disease states. She provided information on nutrients, vitamins, and the evidence behind dietary recommendations, which can protect against or contribute to the development of chronic health issues, such as obesity, osteoporosis, and other diseases. The takeaway message from her presentation was to eat a healthy diet mainly comprised of superfoods in an effort to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, improve mood and keep your weight in check. Sounds like good medicine to us!

To read more about Celebrating Women’s Health Week, please visit the Women’s Health Research Institute website.

Many of you may already know about the widely popular organization, Stupid Cancer, but for those of you who are new to our blog, Stupid Cancer is the nation’s largest support community for young adult survivors of cancer. They support a global network of survivors, caregivers, providers and advocates to ensure that no young adult is unaware of the age-appropriate resources available to them. Stupid Cancer empowers young adults affected by cancer through innovative and award-winning programs and services, including Stupid Cancer Happy Hours, the Stupid Cancer Show, and the annual OMG! Cancer Summit for Young Adults.

The annual OMG! Cancer Summit for Young Adults is the premier oncology conference and social networking event for the young adult cancer movement. A pivotal healthcare event, OMG! is one of the largest gatherings of young adult patients, survivors, caregivers, professionals and advocates in the world. The event inspires thousands to get organized, build community and unite as one to drive change. In April, Stupid Cancer hosted its sixth OMG! Cancer Summit in Las Vegas, NV, and attracted over 600 attendees. As one would expect, Stupid Cancer makes the weekend-long event not only informative but also FUN, with events such as an ice cream social, and Stupid Cancer pub trivia.

Over the last few years, members of the Oncofertility Consortium have attended OMG! to help young survivors understand their fertility options and provide resources and pertinent information to young adults whose fertility may have been affected by their cancer treatment. This year, Consortium member, Laxmi Kondapalli, MD, MSCE, moderated two breakout sessions entitled, “Fertility: Rights & Options With, Through, And Beyond Care.” Dr. Kondapalli served as the clinical expert and reproductive health specialist alongside Alice Crisci, advocate and Founder of Fertile Action, and Jennifer Rockman, ovarian cancer survivor.

The framework of their session revolved around all the different routes to parenthood available to young cancer survivors, including banking eggs, embryos, ovarian tissue, and semen; using a gestational carrier; and pursuing adoption. Dr. Kondapalli stated that the overwhelming theme that evolved from the sessions was the lack of information presented to newly diagnosed cancer patients regarding the potential impact on their fertility. Attendees were eager to learn about the different tests available to gauge fertility, such as ovarian reserve testing for women and semen analysis for men. They also wanted to learn more about their fertility options following cancer treatment and, specifically, how their treatment may have impacted their fertility. Participants left armed with information and resources, and even Dr. Kondapalli’s personal email address, should they need her clinical expertise at any point in their fertility journey.

To learn more about your fertility options, visit SaveMyFertility.org, or contact us at 1.866.708.FERT (3378).

May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month and this time of year brings skin, our body’s largest organ, into focus as the  weather warms up and people spend more time outside in the sun. Skin cancer is sometimes referred to as a “lifestyle disease” because its occurrence can be dramatically reduced through behavior modification, education, and early detection. Learning more about the disease and how it can be easily prevented and/or treated if found early, will hopefully inspire our readers to make some positive lifestyle changes and reduce their risk of skin cancer.

What is skin cancer exactly? Skin cancer is defined as the uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells. It occurs when unrepaired DNA damage to skin cells, most often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds, triggers mutations, or genetic defects, that lead the skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. Cancer of the skin is often divided into two categories: non-melanoma and melanoma. The American Cancer Society estimates there are well over 1 million unreported cases of non-melanoma (basal cell or squamous cell) cancers annually in the United States. Melanoma, the more-serious form of skin cancer, is the most common form of cancer for young adults 25-29 years old and the second most common form of cancer for young people 15-29 years old. Furthermore, women aged 39 and under have a higher probability of developing melanoma than any other cancer except breast cancer, and up until age 40, significantly more women than men develop melanoma.

Current statistics show that skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States, as well as some other countries, and unfortunately the incident rate continues to rise.  Although the frequency of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer diagnoses indicate that this disease remains a significant health concern, it’s important to note that, research and public awareness campaigns are promoting prevention and early detection of skin cancer. Staying informed with the latest news on prevention and screening are important steps in reducing your risk of developing skin cancer. Here are a few tips from the Skin Cancer Foundation for reducing your skin cancer risk:

• Seek the shade, especially between 10 AM and 4 PM.
• Do not burn.
• Avoid tanning and UV tanning booths.
• Cover up with clothing, including a broad-brimmed hat and UV-blocking sunglasses.
• Use a broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher every day. For extended outdoor activity, use a water-resistant, broad spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher.
• Apply 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) of sunscreen to your entire body 30 minutes before going outside.
• Reapply every two hours or immediately after swimming or excessive sweating.
• Keep newborns out of the sun. Sunscreens should be used on babies over the age of six months.
• Examine your skin head-to-toe every month.
• See your physician every year for a professional skin exam.

Did you know that this week is National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW)? NIAW is a movement that began in 1989 to raise awareness about the disease of infertility and encourage the public to understand their reproductive health. RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association founded this movement to:

• Ensure that people trying to conceive know the guidelines for seeing a specialist when they are trying to conceive.
• Enhance public understanding that infertility is a disease that needs and deserves attention.
• Educate legislators about the disease of infertility and how it impacts people in their state.

Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system that impairs the body’s ability to perform this basic function.  Pediatric and young adult cancer patients undergoing treatment are at high risk of having impaired fertility as a result of their disease or its treatment. Reproductive medicine provides a number of sophisticated options for assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as egg, embryo, and sperm banking, ovarian tissue cryopreservation, and third party reproduction options (egg, sperm, and embryo donation, and gestational carrier/surrogacy) which help many people achieve parenthood.

Studies show that fertility preservation can bring hope to a patient undergoing cancer treatment, that there will be options and renewed life beyond their cancer diagnosis. Studies also indicate that individuals who do not receive fertility preservation information or treatment options following a cancer diagnosis are more likely to experience profound emotional consequences once they began to navigate family planning. While adoption and third party options make parenting possible, it does not always eradicate the feeling of loss one can suffer as a result of impaired fertility.

In support of NIAW, we ask you to help us and join the movement to increase and protect access to all family building options, and to help make fertility preservation counseling part of comprehensive cancer care in pediatric and young adult patients. For more information about your fertility options, please visit www.SaveMyFertility.org.

Tomorrow, April 25th, we are excited to be hosting Dana Gossett, MD, Chief of the Division of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, for our Virtual Grand Rounds (VGR) at 2 PM CDT. Please take note that her presentation entitled, “Management of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding During Cancer Treatment,” will be taking place at 2 PM CDT as opposed to our regular morning VGR schedule. Dr. Gossett’s research projects focus on delivery of health care and patient outcomes and she has co-authored several publications analyzing the clinical outcomes of patients with gynecologic cancers.  Click HERE to watch Dr. Gossett present her Virtual Grand Rounds, tomorrow at 2 PM CDT.

Our LIVE Virtual Grand Rounds provide researchers, clinicians, and others the opportunity to hear emerging research findings in cancer and fertility from anywhere across the globe and participate through a live video chat. Virtual and in-person attendees to the rounds can receive free continuing medical education (CME) credits by following the instructions HERE.  Participants can also receive free CME’s by watching a recorded version of the Virtual Grand Rounds which can be found on our website HERE. To read more about receiving education credits from the Oncofertility Consortium, read about the Oncofertility Online program.

Since the 1990s, researchers have published conflicting results about the connection between cancer risk and fertility drugs. As a result, there has been a lingering concern among women that using fertility drugs may increase their risk for later developing hormone receptor positive cancers. Hormone receptor positive tumors consist of cells that express receptors for certain hormones such as estrogen or progesterone, but are most commonly known as estrogen receptor tumors. These types of tumors depend on the presence of estrogen in order to grow and spread throughout the body, making the risk for gynecologic cancers cause for concern in some women undergoing IVF treatment.

Fertility drugs have come under scrutiny because they stimulate hyper-ovulation, meaning they cause a woman’s body to produce more eggs. They have been linked to certain gynecologic cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer. One reason research published in the 1990s may have suggested a link between fertility drugs and cancer risk, is due to the drugs that were being prescribed 20 years ago. Researchers have also blamed the mixed nature of the findings on the studies’ relatively short length, or on including women who have not given birth as they are known to have an increased risk of some cancers.

New research, however, suggests that using fertility drugs does not have an impact on your risk for developing ovarian cancer down the line. Lead author of the study and clinical fellow in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Dr. Albert Asante and his colleagues gathered medical information on 1900 women from an ongoing ovarian cancer study at the Mayo Clinic. The researchers compared 1,028 women with ovarian cancer to 872 women of similar age who did not have cancer. As reported in Fertility and Sterility, approximately 24 percent of the women who did not have ovarian cancer reported having used fertility drugs, while roughly 17 percent of women who had ovarian cancer had used fertility drugs.

The researchers took into account factors that can influence the risk for ovarian cancer, such as age and use of the birth control pill, and found no difference in cancer rates between the groups. Dr. Asante looked specifically at whether women in the study who reported being infertile- whether or not they had taken fertility drugs – had a greater chance of developing ovarian cancer, and found no added risk. He said one explanation for the result is that most of the women in his study had infertility issues, but eventually became pregnant. According to Dr. Albert Asante, “One important message [from this study] is women who need to use fertility drugs to get pregnant should not worry about using these fertility drugs.”

To read more about this new study, click HERE for the full text. To learn more about your reproductive options when faced with a cancer diagnosis, please visit www.SaveMyFertility.org.

Next week in the United States is designated as National Minority Cancer Awareness Week. While cancer affects men and women of every age, race, ethnic background, and economic class, the disease has a disproportionately severe impact on minorities and the economically disadvantaged. National Minority Cancer Awareness Week promotes increased awareness of prevention and treatment among those segments of the populations that are at greater risk of developing cancer. The week’s emphasis gives clinicians, healthcare professionals, and researchers an opportunity to focus on high-risk populations and to develop creative approaches to battling cancer problems unique to these communities.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that cancer death rates for women are highest among African Americans, followed by Caucasians, Hispanics, and Asian/Pacific Islanders. Cancer is the leading cause of death for female Asian Americans since 1980. Colon cancer continues to kill more African Americans than Caucasians for reasons that are not completely understood. According to the Intercultural Cancer Council, this is due in large part to delayed diagnosis coupled with less than appropriate patient care. In addition, individuals of all ethnic backgrounds who are poor, lack health insurance, or otherwise have inadequate access to quality cancer treatment experience higher cancer incidence, higher mortality rates, and lower survival rates. As a result, members of these populations may put off the expense of seeing a doctor until they are very sick and are diagnosed at a later stage, and thus have a poorer chance of survival.

Key Statistics about Cancer in Minorities from the American Cancer Society:

• African-Americans have the highest death rate and shortest survival following diagnosis of any racial and ethnic group in the U.S. for most cancers.
• It is estimated that about 169,000 new cancer cases will be diagnosed among African-Americans by year’s end. Approximately 66,000 African-Americans will die from cancer.
• The most commonly diagnosed cancers among African-American men are prostate, lung and colorectal.
• Among African-American women, the most common cancers are breast, lung and colorectal. 
• Nearly 99,000 new cancer cases in Hispanic men and women were diagnosed in 2009. Among Hispanics, there were 29,000 cancer deaths.
• Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Hispanic men, while lung cancer accounts for the largest percentage of deaths in that group.
• Breast cancer is both the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women.
• Among Asian Indian and Pakistani women, breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death. (National Cancer Institute)

For more information about how cancer affects minority populations, please visit the Intercultural Cancer Council or click HERE.

Tomorrow, April 11th, we are excited to be hosting Clarisa Gracia, MD, MSCE, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pennsylvania, for our Virtual Grand Rounds at 10 AM CDT. Her presentation entitled, Case Studies in Oncofertility, will analze indviduals who have undergone fertility preservation following a cancer diagnosis, and the developmental factors related to their decision. Dr. Gracia is also a contributing author in the Oncofertility book series, lending her clinical expertise and experience to the subfield, and she is an integral member of the Oncofertility Consortium. Click here to watch Dr. Gracia present her Virtual Grand Rounds, tomorrow at 10 AM CDT.

For those who are not aware of these special rounds, they are live videoconferences with experts in the fields of reproduction, cancer, and oncofertility. The rounds provide researchers, clinicians, and others the opportunity to hear emerging research findings from anywhere across the globe and participate through a live video chat. Virtual and in-person attendees to the rounds can also receive free continuing medical education (CME) credits by following the instructions here. Within one week of the rounds, a video recording will be posted on the Oncofertility Consortium website and CME credits will be available to online viewers. To read more about receiving education credits from the Oncofertility Consortium, read about the Oncofertility Online program.

There are an estimated 13 million cancer survivors living in the US today, with projected growth to 18 million by 2020. As a result, many healthcare groups and cancer centers are not equipped to address their growing survivor populations. Stemming from this need for quality after care, researchers from the University of Kansas (KU) developed Cancer Survivorship Training (CST), an eLearning solutions provider, to help improve the lives and well-being of cancer survivors by educating and training the healthcare professionals that care for them.

CST online and community courses are designed to increase education, knowledge and skills about survivorship care through theory-based and practical continuing education online curriculum and mobile based learning. The training also provides essential tools for developing and sustaining formal survivorship programs, including oncofertility resources. The Oncofertility Consortium partnered with researchers at KU to help develop CST’s oncofertility course, providing fertility preservation education and options. As studies have shown, fertility is an important factor in many young cancer survivors quality of life following treatment, thus educating patients about their reproductive options is a critical component of comprehensive cancer and survivorship care.

Lead developer of CST, Jennifer Klemp, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the KU. Dr. Klemp has a strong interest in patients’ quality of life issues following cancer treatment and is the Director of Cancer Survivorship at KU Cancer Center. She designed CST to deliver continuing education to health care providers actively involved in the care of cancer survivors, including; physicians, oncology nurses, mid-level practitioners, allied health professionals, and practice administrators.

CST emphasizes the importance of post-treatment survivorship care as well as the opportunity for education and prevention of late and long-term effects, including infertility, from the time of diagnosis.  The multi-disciplinary approach provides the healthcare provider with information to care for the needs of cancer survivors from the time of diagnosis and develop skills focusing on essential elements to the delivery of survivorship. To learn more about Cancer Survivorship Training, please visit www.cancersurvivorshiptraining.com or click here.

Alice Crisci, founder of Fertile Action, and contributing author to the fourth upcoming Oncofertility book, Oncofertility Communication: Sharing Information and Building Relationships across Disciplines, has been in the news recently for her vocal opposition to a California bill that prohibits women from getting paid for donating their eggs for medical research. Now at 11 weeks pregnant, we asked her to tell to share her cancer story with us, including her advocacy and policy work.

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Q: Tell us a little bit about how you got involved in cancer and fertility advocacy?

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, and launched my non profit, Fertile Action, that same year. In 2009, I took my board to the National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBCC) annual conference. We were all shocked at the exclusionary policies of the NBCC towards young women, but had the good fortune of meeting with congress woman, Debbie Wasserman Shultz, about the Early Act (the Public Health Service Act to increase awareness of the risks of breast cancer in young women and provide support for young women diagnosed with breast cancer). We spent a day running around the Capitol lobbying for her bill, and I saw firsthand how I could be an influencer in setting or opposing policies. Since then I have worked at the California state level, and federal level on meaningful initiatives that support young adult cancer survivors.

Q: Based on your cancer diagnosis and treatment plan, how long were you advised to wait to start a family after you completed cancer treatment?

My treatment was very long – almost 3.5 years before I was taken off all medications. 2.5 years of that was spent in medical menopause so I was not producing hormones that could support a pregnancy. I started trying naturally about a year later and had three chemical pregnancies/early miscarriages. I finally decided to use the “totsicles” I created with a sperm donor when I was diagnosed. My first transfer was a success, and on my five year cancerversary I heard my baby’s heartbeat for the 2nd time and balled my eyes out! My doctor approved me going off tamoxifen early because of the additional treatment of medical menopause. It’s such a toxic medication that he recommended I wait six months before trying to get pregnant. That six month wait turned into almost a year before having my first pregnancy loss.

Q: How has your cancer survivorship care influenced your fertility story? 

Had anyone told me when I was first diagnosed that I would be in some form of treatment for over 3 years, I wouldn’t have started! I thought it was surgery, chemo and done. Six months of my life, and that was that. I was very sick from all the treatment for so many years, then dealing with so many side effects after ending treatment, My fertility plans continued to get delayed. I was also financially devastated from going through cancer, and it took a long time to start rebuilding to the level where I thought I could afford a family.

Q: You have been a vocal critic of the CA bill prohibiting compensation to women for donating their eggs to medical research. How do you think a reversal of this bill would impact cancer care?

To date, we have focused more on quantity, but there are ample women like me who have eggs left that don’t produce a live birth. If we can study chemo’s impact on quality then we can also discover new interventions for preventing that impact. Fertility preservation is still prohibitive for many patients so we need to keep innovating in other areas. California’s current bill prevents any of the amazing researchers in this great state from conducting this type of study. Institutional Review Boards (IRB), especially at the university setting, do a great job of overseeing ethics, and preventing exploitation of vulnerable populations. In many cases IRB’s are much more restrictive than legislation!

To learn more about your fertility options following a cancer diagnosis, please visit www.SaveMyFertility.org.