Five women with cancer must be vigilant

We have asked Roswell Park doctors specializing in women's cancers to share some tips for preventing or treating cancer. Here is what they offered.

Breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women. Most women diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history of breast cancer. "Since 1990, the breast cancer death rate has declined," said Ermelinda Bonaccio, MD, clinical leader, breast imaging section in Diagnostic Radiology at Roswell Park. "This is due to both early detection and improved treatments," she adds. According to Bonaccio, mammography is currently the only test that can reduce the risk of death from breast cancer. "It is essential that women 40 and older get a mammogram each year," she says. "A woman with certain risk factors may need to start earlier, but only after consulting her doctor."

Colorectal cancer

Steven Hochwald, MD, FACS, Vice President and Head of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Roswell Park, treats men and women exposed to colorectal cancer every day in Roswell Park. He says the main risk factors are following a high-fat diet (especially animal), being overweight, smoking and staying idle. "Colorectal cancer is one of the few cancers where we have fairly precise means to detect early signs," said Dr. Hochwald. "If precancerous polyps are discovered and eliminated, we can stop them, but why wait for polyps, increase your consumption of fruits and vegetables, and stop the polyps before they can begin."

Endometrial cancer

Endometrial cancer, or cancer of the uterine lining, mainly affects women over 50 years old. Stacey Akers, MD, of Roswell Park's Department of Gynecologic Oncology, informs women that, if the Pap test is used for cervical cancer screening, it is not a problem. of a screening test for endometrial cancer. "Watch for signs such as bleeding or unusual bleeding that is not related to menstruation and bleeding after menopause, if this happens, tell your doctor immediately," she warns.

Lung cancer

Martin Mahoney, MD, Ph.D., one of Roswell Park's lung cancer early detection program leaders and a smoking cessation expert, says that even though lung cancer kills more men and women than any other cancer, it is often possible to prevent it. "Smoking is an extremely difficult addiction to quitting, but quitting is the most important health behavior change that a person can do," Mahoney said. "The best advice is to never start, but if you smoke, get help from your clinician or the smoker's smoker from the state of New York." If you have relatives or friends who are still smoking, continue to encourage them to quit. "

Ovarian cancer

Ovarian cancer has often been called the silent killer because its symptoms are often not recognized or attributed to something else. But according to Peter Frederick, MD, an associate professor of oncology at Roswell Park, women can increase their chances of being diagnosed earlier. "We hope that one day we will have an effective screening test for ovarian cancer, but in the meantime, women need to pay close attention to the signals that their body transmits to them." persistent (more than 12 days over a 30 day period) such as abdominal or pelvic pain, bloating, loss of appetite or changes in bowel habits or urination are signs before -coureurs that should be reported as soon as possible. "

Explore further:
Four myths about breast cancer debunked