Selected Podcast
5 Things Every Woman Should Know about Breast Cancer
Hally™ Healthcast is the monthly wellness podcast from Hally™ health. This month we explore five things every woman should know about breast cancer. Our guest is Dr. Maria Grosse Perdekamp of the Mills Breast Cancer Institute, part of the Carle Cancer Center in Urbana, Illinois.
Featuring:
Maria Grosse Perdekamp, MD
Maria Grosse Perdekamp, MD is an expert on breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies at the Mills Breast Cancer Institute, part of the Carle Cancer Center in Urbana, Illinois. Transcription:
Alyne Ellis: Welcome to Hally Healthcast, the monthly wellness podcast from Hally health, your source for health and wellness resources, information and tips. Every month, we'll address a new topic important to your health. Bringing in expert doctors, therapists, and specialists who offer advice and answer your most pressing questions. October is breast cancer awareness month. So this month we want to spread awareness about this all too common disease. I'm Alyne Ellis and here with us today is Dr. Maria Grosse Perdekamp. Dr. Perdekamp is an expert on breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies at the Mills Breast Cancer Institute. Part of the Carle Cancer Center in Urbana, Illinois. So let's jump right in. We'll walk the listeners through five things. Every woman should know about breast cancer, starting with number one, mammograms save lives because they can provide a noninvasive look at the breast long before a woman might detect a problem. So I'm wondering if you could elaborate on that.
Dr. Perdekamp: Yeah. Thank you. So I think this is a very important question for the general population. All the women should go for a mammogram, like once a year to make sure we find a breast cancer early. So very often when we do mammograms, we find a leash in which the patient is not aware of. So it comes out of the blue. That means until the patient really would be aware of the breast cancer when it's coming through the skin or it's palpable, then it's a little bit more advanced. So the reason why we do mammograms and routinely recommend preventative mammograms is that we find it early so that we can cure the cancer before it's bigger or maybe already has spread. So we can save a lot of lives by finding breast cancer early on. That's the time, and actually we cannot find the breast cancer by feeding our breast or checking our lymph nodes. That's the time when we really want to know is there a breast cancer already developing so that we can get rid of it.
Host: And what about what age should we start a mammogram routine? And how often should we have one?
Dr. Perdekamp: So that's different, the recommendations, we at Carle recommend starting breast mammograms at age 40. And we should do them like once a year. And that's our recommendation. We feel strongly that we set screening methods. We really find breast cancer early on and can make a difference in the outcome for the patient.
Host: So, let's move on to one of the other important questions. Number two, certain women have a higher risk of breast cancer than others. And what kind of different risk factors should we be aware of?
Dr. Perdekamp: So, there are some risk factors which are inherited. So some patients have genetic mutations and they are more likely to have breast cancer to develop during their lifetime. So it is very important that patients are aware of what is going on in their family. So when we talk about our family members, we should find out if anybody had breast cancer, or any other kinds of cancers. Sometimes it's a gene which covers several malignancies. So it would be good to know that if anybody in the family had breast cancer or ovarian cancer, that these are the most common ones which are in families. And then we can actually recommend genetic testing to find that risk factor out. Then another risk factor is just our lifestyle. We know that a lack of exercise and overweight are risk factors for breast cancer. So these are like a modifiable risk factors. Then we also know in clinical research, we have found out that patients who went through menopause that some patients had taken it's called hormone replacement therapy, and this kind of therapy also increases the risk for breast cancer. So it is important to understand what the risk factors are and how we can modify it.
Host: What about dense breasts?
Dr. Perdekamp: Dense breasts? That's correct. That's coming up recently that dense breast is a risk factor as well. And so when we go for a mammogram, the radiologist reads the mammogram and a little let the provider know that the patient has dense breast and taking all these risk factors together one can calculate what is the risk for the individual patient. And so we at call, we have a high risk of breast cancer clinic where we can screen the normal women and see what is their risk, their individual risk for breast cancer and come up with a number and tell them what can they do to help to reduce the risk? And what can we help from our side as providers to inform them of their likelihood to have breast cancer. We have a genetic counselor as well, who looks into family stories and help patients to understand what their risk in regards of their genes.
Host: So, let's move on to important question number three or topic, and that is that certain warning signs can help you catch breast cancer early. And I'm wondering if you could please run down some of the signs we should be aware of.
Dr. Perdekamp: So, the most common signs that a patient thinks that she might have breast cancer is that they feel a lump in their breast. So if a woman finds a lump in their breast, they should definitely have that evaluated. It's not so common to have a lump in the breast for other reasons. And I think every provider would be happy to take out if there is a problem, sometimes it's a lump underneath the armpit in the axilla, we call it. And this would be also something to go ahead and see your provider. Only when cancer has spread, then the patients get more, we call it systemic signs. Like they have weight loss, or they just don't feel right. These are signs, which we hope that patients make their primary care physician aware that there's a problem by checking out their breasts regularly doing like breast examinations once a month by themselves and see if there's a lump in there. And if there is any concern and sometimes it is that the nipple is changing. And regardless of, it's not like the other side, it's a retracted. It might be bloody, or there might be some discharge. So these are signs which women should be aware of to seek medical attention.
Host: So, number four, mammograms are a safe and a covered benefit. And I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about how they're usually covered by insurance?
Dr. Perdekamp: Yeah. So mammograms are recommended by many guidelines and by the National Cancer Institute and Cancer society, everybody recommends them and the insurance has caught up with that. So the insurance is generally covers breast mammograms. I cannot speak for every insurance, but most insurance cover that. And I would check with your insurance and make sure that they cover that. And there are programs for patients who don't have insurances of which might pick up the cost as well. So we recommend for every patient who is interested in having a mammogram to check that with the insurance, as well as with resources, for which are available for even patients who might not have an insurance. How safe they are, so we are using the minimal amount of radiation for a mammograms, and the mammograms are very safe. The amount of radiation is very small. So the harm with a mammogram is so minimal compared to the benefit we see preventing many women from having breast cancer, dealing with that when it's more advanced.
Host: And finally, number five, breast cancer is beatable, which is such good news. What are the current survival rates?
Dr. Perdekamp: So, we have very different kinds of breast cancer. So we have more aggressive breast cancer and less aggressive breast cancers. But because we have the mammogram, even the more aggressive breast cancers, when we find them very early, most of them are cured. So the likelihood that the cancer spreads and goes to other organs is small. So the really important point for all the women in our community is go for the mammogram. So even if it's a more aggressive breast cancer, when we find it early, it is curable and should be taken care of. So when it has already spread, unfortunately, then we can still help the patients to get in a remission. But we, most of the time will not be able to get rid of it. And so really the importance for all the women in the community is to go for the mammograms. So that'd you find the cancer at the curable stage and can help them out.
Host: And that terrible shock. When you do find out that you have at whatever stage you're at really can be emotionally awful. I mean, can you go over a little bit, the other kinds of mental support and resources that you have available for patients?
Dr. Perdekamp: Yeah. I think this is a very important point. You just brought up many women, even if it is a small cancer, it's unexpected, it's a new diagnosis in very often in middle aged or young women who feel totally well and come up with a mammogram, which shows a lump or a new breast cancer. And we have lots of support in our Breast Cancer Institutes. We have social workers who help emotionally to get over the immediate kind of reaction. I have a cancer now, what should I do? Breast cancer needs a team effort. So there's always a solution and medical oncologists, radiation, oncologists. We have a geneticist, we have a whole group of supports, like a navigator who helps them to understanding how to proceed and make the right decisions. So there is always a team which helps the patient to understand and overcome like the fear with the first hearing that they have breast cancer. And it is really one should see that again, when we find it early on in most of the cases that the cancer is curable, and that's the main message, it's a curable disease, which we have to find early to help out the best, our patients.
Host: So, we really are ending this with a sense of optimism and hope and stories that survivors share.
Dr. Perdekamp: Yeah. So, in general breast cancer survivors, they have very different methods to cope with it. So some really liked to share it with other women to let them know how they went to and how they other women might be able to prevent go going through that by going early for breast cancer screening and others are rather not so outgoing for them. We have like, support groups where they can come together and do it more in like smaller groups. Patients and women who are interested just to listen in how people do through their breast cancer story and how they, how they cope with that. And what kind of help you have after they went to all the treatment for living without cancer, for the rest of their life.
Host: Thank you so much. That's such helpful knowledge and advice. Thank you so much, Dr. Perdekamp.
Dr. Perdekamp: You're welcome, it was my pleasure. Thank you.
Host: Thanks for all that you do at the Carle Cancer Center and its Mills Breast Cancer Institute. Dr. Maria Grosse Perdekamp is an expert on breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies at the Mills Breast Cancer Institute. Part of the Carle Cancer Center in Orbanner, Illinois. I'm Alyne Ellis. That concludes today's Hally HealthCast, tune in next month, when we talk about five tips to help you and your loved one, manage your diabetes at home. And remember Hally Health is your source for a wide variety of health and wellness resources, information, and tips. Visit us online at hally.com. Let us help keep you and your family healthy and well. Thanks for listening. We hope you tune in next month.
Alyne Ellis: Welcome to Hally Healthcast, the monthly wellness podcast from Hally health, your source for health and wellness resources, information and tips. Every month, we'll address a new topic important to your health. Bringing in expert doctors, therapists, and specialists who offer advice and answer your most pressing questions. October is breast cancer awareness month. So this month we want to spread awareness about this all too common disease. I'm Alyne Ellis and here with us today is Dr. Maria Grosse Perdekamp. Dr. Perdekamp is an expert on breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies at the Mills Breast Cancer Institute. Part of the Carle Cancer Center in Urbana, Illinois. So let's jump right in. We'll walk the listeners through five things. Every woman should know about breast cancer, starting with number one, mammograms save lives because they can provide a noninvasive look at the breast long before a woman might detect a problem. So I'm wondering if you could elaborate on that.
Dr. Perdekamp: Yeah. Thank you. So I think this is a very important question for the general population. All the women should go for a mammogram, like once a year to make sure we find a breast cancer early. So very often when we do mammograms, we find a leash in which the patient is not aware of. So it comes out of the blue. That means until the patient really would be aware of the breast cancer when it's coming through the skin or it's palpable, then it's a little bit more advanced. So the reason why we do mammograms and routinely recommend preventative mammograms is that we find it early so that we can cure the cancer before it's bigger or maybe already has spread. So we can save a lot of lives by finding breast cancer early on. That's the time, and actually we cannot find the breast cancer by feeding our breast or checking our lymph nodes. That's the time when we really want to know is there a breast cancer already developing so that we can get rid of it.
Host: And what about what age should we start a mammogram routine? And how often should we have one?
Dr. Perdekamp: So that's different, the recommendations, we at Carle recommend starting breast mammograms at age 40. And we should do them like once a year. And that's our recommendation. We feel strongly that we set screening methods. We really find breast cancer early on and can make a difference in the outcome for the patient.
Host: So, let's move on to one of the other important questions. Number two, certain women have a higher risk of breast cancer than others. And what kind of different risk factors should we be aware of?
Dr. Perdekamp: So, there are some risk factors which are inherited. So some patients have genetic mutations and they are more likely to have breast cancer to develop during their lifetime. So it is very important that patients are aware of what is going on in their family. So when we talk about our family members, we should find out if anybody had breast cancer, or any other kinds of cancers. Sometimes it's a gene which covers several malignancies. So it would be good to know that if anybody in the family had breast cancer or ovarian cancer, that these are the most common ones which are in families. And then we can actually recommend genetic testing to find that risk factor out. Then another risk factor is just our lifestyle. We know that a lack of exercise and overweight are risk factors for breast cancer. So these are like a modifiable risk factors. Then we also know in clinical research, we have found out that patients who went through menopause that some patients had taken it's called hormone replacement therapy, and this kind of therapy also increases the risk for breast cancer. So it is important to understand what the risk factors are and how we can modify it.
Host: What about dense breasts?
Dr. Perdekamp: Dense breasts? That's correct. That's coming up recently that dense breast is a risk factor as well. And so when we go for a mammogram, the radiologist reads the mammogram and a little let the provider know that the patient has dense breast and taking all these risk factors together one can calculate what is the risk for the individual patient. And so we at call, we have a high risk of breast cancer clinic where we can screen the normal women and see what is their risk, their individual risk for breast cancer and come up with a number and tell them what can they do to help to reduce the risk? And what can we help from our side as providers to inform them of their likelihood to have breast cancer. We have a genetic counselor as well, who looks into family stories and help patients to understand what their risk in regards of their genes.
Host: So, let's move on to important question number three or topic, and that is that certain warning signs can help you catch breast cancer early. And I'm wondering if you could please run down some of the signs we should be aware of.
Dr. Perdekamp: So, the most common signs that a patient thinks that she might have breast cancer is that they feel a lump in their breast. So if a woman finds a lump in their breast, they should definitely have that evaluated. It's not so common to have a lump in the breast for other reasons. And I think every provider would be happy to take out if there is a problem, sometimes it's a lump underneath the armpit in the axilla, we call it. And this would be also something to go ahead and see your provider. Only when cancer has spread, then the patients get more, we call it systemic signs. Like they have weight loss, or they just don't feel right. These are signs, which we hope that patients make their primary care physician aware that there's a problem by checking out their breasts regularly doing like breast examinations once a month by themselves and see if there's a lump in there. And if there is any concern and sometimes it is that the nipple is changing. And regardless of, it's not like the other side, it's a retracted. It might be bloody, or there might be some discharge. So these are signs which women should be aware of to seek medical attention.
Host: So, number four, mammograms are a safe and a covered benefit. And I'm wondering if you can talk a little bit about how they're usually covered by insurance?
Dr. Perdekamp: Yeah. So mammograms are recommended by many guidelines and by the National Cancer Institute and Cancer society, everybody recommends them and the insurance has caught up with that. So the insurance is generally covers breast mammograms. I cannot speak for every insurance, but most insurance cover that. And I would check with your insurance and make sure that they cover that. And there are programs for patients who don't have insurances of which might pick up the cost as well. So we recommend for every patient who is interested in having a mammogram to check that with the insurance, as well as with resources, for which are available for even patients who might not have an insurance. How safe they are, so we are using the minimal amount of radiation for a mammograms, and the mammograms are very safe. The amount of radiation is very small. So the harm with a mammogram is so minimal compared to the benefit we see preventing many women from having breast cancer, dealing with that when it's more advanced.
Host: And finally, number five, breast cancer is beatable, which is such good news. What are the current survival rates?
Dr. Perdekamp: So, we have very different kinds of breast cancer. So we have more aggressive breast cancer and less aggressive breast cancers. But because we have the mammogram, even the more aggressive breast cancers, when we find them very early, most of them are cured. So the likelihood that the cancer spreads and goes to other organs is small. So the really important point for all the women in our community is go for the mammogram. So even if it's a more aggressive breast cancer, when we find it early, it is curable and should be taken care of. So when it has already spread, unfortunately, then we can still help the patients to get in a remission. But we, most of the time will not be able to get rid of it. And so really the importance for all the women in the community is to go for the mammograms. So that'd you find the cancer at the curable stage and can help them out.
Host: And that terrible shock. When you do find out that you have at whatever stage you're at really can be emotionally awful. I mean, can you go over a little bit, the other kinds of mental support and resources that you have available for patients?
Dr. Perdekamp: Yeah. I think this is a very important point. You just brought up many women, even if it is a small cancer, it's unexpected, it's a new diagnosis in very often in middle aged or young women who feel totally well and come up with a mammogram, which shows a lump or a new breast cancer. And we have lots of support in our Breast Cancer Institutes. We have social workers who help emotionally to get over the immediate kind of reaction. I have a cancer now, what should I do? Breast cancer needs a team effort. So there's always a solution and medical oncologists, radiation, oncologists. We have a geneticist, we have a whole group of supports, like a navigator who helps them to understanding how to proceed and make the right decisions. So there is always a team which helps the patient to understand and overcome like the fear with the first hearing that they have breast cancer. And it is really one should see that again, when we find it early on in most of the cases that the cancer is curable, and that's the main message, it's a curable disease, which we have to find early to help out the best, our patients.
Host: So, we really are ending this with a sense of optimism and hope and stories that survivors share.
Dr. Perdekamp: Yeah. So, in general breast cancer survivors, they have very different methods to cope with it. So some really liked to share it with other women to let them know how they went to and how they other women might be able to prevent go going through that by going early for breast cancer screening and others are rather not so outgoing for them. We have like, support groups where they can come together and do it more in like smaller groups. Patients and women who are interested just to listen in how people do through their breast cancer story and how they, how they cope with that. And what kind of help you have after they went to all the treatment for living without cancer, for the rest of their life.
Host: Thank you so much. That's such helpful knowledge and advice. Thank you so much, Dr. Perdekamp.
Dr. Perdekamp: You're welcome, it was my pleasure. Thank you.
Host: Thanks for all that you do at the Carle Cancer Center and its Mills Breast Cancer Institute. Dr. Maria Grosse Perdekamp is an expert on breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies at the Mills Breast Cancer Institute. Part of the Carle Cancer Center in Orbanner, Illinois. I'm Alyne Ellis. That concludes today's Hally HealthCast, tune in next month, when we talk about five tips to help you and your loved one, manage your diabetes at home. And remember Hally Health is your source for a wide variety of health and wellness resources, information, and tips. Visit us online at hally.com. Let us help keep you and your family healthy and well. Thanks for listening. We hope you tune in next month.