Breast Cancer Staging

Stages of Breast Cancer

All breast cancers that have been diagnosed must have other tests performed to determine if the cancer has spread. This process is known as breast cancer staging. Once the stage is known, an appropriate treatment plan can be developed. For helpful, detailed information on staging, watch Beyond the Shock®.
5-YEAR SURVIVAL RATE BY STAGE
Stage 0 100%
Stage I 98%
Stage II 88%
Stage IIIA 56%
Stage IIIB 49%
Stage IV 16%
STAGING

READ MORE HERE
Stage 0—Carcinoma in situ Does breast MRI for staging and management improve breast cancer outcomes?(POINT/COUNTERPOINT): An article from: OB GYN NewsBreast Cancer: An entry from Gale's <i>Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed.</i>

Sources: CNN, Startribune
A mother testified that religious beliefs prevent her son from taking chemo. Doctors said he will likely die without it.

The drama of deciding treatment usually takes a heavy toll on the patient. But when the patient is under age, and the mother decides one way or the other, should she be persecuted?

Article 3 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child states

1. In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.

Article 6 states that

1. States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.

The dilemma here is the debate between the viability of traditional treatment and alternative or complementary alternative medical (CAM) treatments as regards a patient who is not of age, whose mother is making decisions for him, and whose decisions are deemed not in his interest...

Having had a diagnosis myself of breast cancer in 2000, I was traumatized as to what direction to take. I was scared stiff of chemotherapy and radiation as I knew and saw the ravages of the body while going through the treatment; I also have friends who are still around after the treatment for many years, and others who have died despite having had the treatment.

Making the decision not to undergo chemotherapy nor radiation was mind-wrenching and totally against the wishes of many of my colleagues as well as my medical team. However, my decision was based on the fact that, no matter what the issue, death is inevitable, therefore I could choose to die without my body being ravaged by the effects of the conventional treatment. I decided on a lumpectomy and have been going for six-monthly and yearly check ups with my oncologist and radiologist ever since.

However, I did not stop there. I relentlessly and actively pursued information and worked with technicians and professionals in the alternative/CAM arena of treatment, as well as pursued other spiritual and religious enriching environments. In addition, I radically changed the way I eat and learned quite a lot about healing ability of the mind and the body; as well as the importance of the colon; of toxins and toxicity in the highly chemicalized foods we eat; of the pollutants in the air we breathe, the chemicals in the water we use, etc...

Underpinning all of the above, was a belief system that got stronger and stronger the farther I strayed from conventional treatments. And this is what I suppose is driving the decision of the mother for her son - her belief that the way she is choosing to treat the disease will work for her son.

Given his age however, it is not know what would have been his choice. Is he following his mom because he also believes or because she is his mom and moms know best?

Given his age, and the fact that his mother has chosen "wrong" as is being debated in the medical circles, is that why she is being pursued? And what if she had chosen right according to the medical establishment?

Chances are that the unthinkable could occur - with both choices. So why can't a mother choose what she believes is best for her child. Would the Convention on the Rights of the Child have supported the mother's argument if it had been ratified by the United States?

There is a need for more information to be shared on the different modalities of treatment for cancer. I no longer hold the opinion that if the person with the disease does not follow the traditional practices that they will live a life of sorrow and suffering. I have seen people following traditional practices as well as alternative/CAM practices and both at times result in sorrow and suffering and death.

What is the most critical element of the decision as to which path to take, is the patient's belief that the path they decide on is the best one for them, and they hold fast and believe and do all that they can to address their vulnerable health conditions using their method of choice.

Then we can deal with the outcome and result as we have believed and chosen for our good.

For earlier articles visit - Towards a documentary on Breast Cancer
Plastics and Breast Cancer
Inflammation and Breast Cancer
Laughter TherapyCAM use high among autism patients.(Mental Health)(complementary and alternative medicine): An article from: Family Practice News

Women Celebrities and Breast Cancer

Most recently, the wife of a presidential candidate - Ms Edwards, spoke out about her journey as regards breast cancer. And we have had other celebrities invited to the media and talk shows to speak out about their experiences.
As usual, the world took note, because of the "celebrity" status of the person dealing with the crisis.

Breast cancer knows no social boundaries, the disease can affect anyone at any age, from teenage to adulthood and beyond.

Many women whose lives have been touched by breast cancer include those whom we know as celebrities, for example,singers (Olivia Newton John, Patti Labelle...) actresses (Diahann Carrol, Shirley Temple Black, Lynn Redgrave, Suzanne Somers...),former First Ladies (Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan), etc.

This is a disease that has plagued women for centuries. The mother of Louis XIV of France died of breast cancer in 1666. These high rates of breast cancer are not acceptable to the women of the world and must be met with scientific research that provides results. Yet the world seems fascinated with the famous women and celebrities and their management of the dis-ease.(source:http://understandingbreastcancer.blogspot.com/2007/01/breast-cancer-cure-with-power-of-fame.html)

Ordinary women, whom I call women-in-the-street celebrities, are also grappling with the seriousness of such a diagnosis and the challenges of navigating the roadblocks along the path to healing. However, hardly any one knows of their stories. The housewife, the secretary, the nurse, the plumber, the electrician, the teacher, the university professor, the student, the bus driver, the cook, the mother, the aunt, etc . . . all of them have stories of bravery and courage which should be told.

Muriella's Corner would like to hear from all these women, since she, as editor, has been on the same journey as Ms Edwards, after a diagnosis in 2000. I am one of the women-in-the-street celebrities and my journey on the road to healing approximates that of some celebrities and many courageous women (lumpectomy, a radical change in diet and thought processes, deep work at the cellular level where change and transformation occur . . . faith and trust in a team of medical specialists alternative healers and the divine healer, as well as a solid social support system, and so far, so good . . . ).

It is as a result of breast cancer that Muriella's Corner was created to give back to those who helped me along the way. Life is ever more meaningful as gratitude, compassion, generosity of spirit have now become daily affirmations and experiences.

Muriella's Corner - where ideas, issues and solutions meet online - is a free, online, weekly newsletter, shared with our readers and supporters.

Muriella's Corner would like to hear about your stories, as we all have earned celebrity status in the way we navigate the pathways to healing and our lives. We have earned the right to share with others where we are along the journey and the hurdles we have overcome, or are still overcoming, or do not yet know of . . .

Email us at customerservice@clik-n-shoppe.com or leave a comment below. Muriella's Corner will arrange to have a webinar or to send your stories to CNN, MSNBC, Larry King, Oprah, Ellen, Nightline, the Daily Show, et al . . . for the world to know that many brave women too have also earned celebrity status in dealing with this disease.

As the saying goes, character is formed not by how we confront and deal with challenges, but how we are molded and transformed as we come out of the fire. And believe me, any diagnosis of ill-ease and dis-ease can be destabilizing, but a diagnosis of cancer is extremely chilling. The lights seem to go out, everything becomes dark, the mind is on overdrive with thoughts of how, why, why me . . .

Looking back, I can proudly and safely say, I have benefited extremely from the experience, and am becoming a better person on this side of it.

P.S.:

Women are diagnosed with cancer every day. Their reaction varies depending on many things - and outcomes vary depending on many things.

Moreover, many women do not want to concern themselves much about their health as they are afraid of dealing with the consequences, thus they can be afflicted with cancer or other dreaded diseases and not want to know about it. And many of them are managing despite the odds.

We need to know what else is being done at the individual level to deal with this disease, what is underground, what else women around the world are doing along the way to healing.

For example- how many use prayer and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). CAM is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine--that is, medicine as practiced by holders of M.D. (medical doctor) or D.O. (doctor of osteopathy) degrees and their allied health professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, and registered nurses?How many use traditional medical services? How many use both? How many use neither of those above? What do you use? What do you do?

Share your journey with Muriella's Corner. We admire your courage and you have earned the right to be a celebrity dealing with breast cancer.

Let us throw a lot of light on this disease. Let us talk about it freely and in doing so gain support of others and provide support to others