Let’s Talk Ta Tas: A Breast Cancer Discussion

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 “Breast cancer treatment is my passion and my calling. Woman-to-woman, I bring you that special understanding about the effects of this disease. The part that goes beyond the physical aspects—the questions about your femininity, your appearance, your doubts, and your fears. I’ve been on the other side of the cancer table, having lost my father to lung cancer. There were times I didn’t feel like I was getting the whole story. I welcome your questions and concerns. We’ll walk through breast cancer together. You are not in this alone.” -Dr. Robyn Young

Robyn Young, M.D., focuses entirely on breast cancer treatment. With more than a decade of experience, she offers her patients the most up-to-date and aggressive options for fighting this disease. Dr. Young believes in working closely with breast cancer surgeons, plastic surgeons, radiation oncologists, and other medical professionals to provide a team approach, assuring each patient an opportunity for a cure and the highest quality of life.

Thus, we at the Fort Worth Moms Blog are so thrilled Dr. Young agreed to chat with us, sharing her knowledge about breast cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment.

1. What resources and/or organizations would you recommend women consult when they have questions regarding breast cancer?

The National Cancer Institute website is very reliable. Breast cancer.org is simple and easy to understand. Susan G. Komen is also good; the Young Survival Coalition helps younger women.

One in eight women develop invasive breast cancer, i.e. 12 percent. In 2014, the estimation was that 232,670 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed as well as another 62,570 cases of in-situ or non-invasive breast cancer. 40,000 women are expected to die in 2014. Breast cancer accounts for 30 percent of all cancers in women. Survival depends on many factors, including stage, prognostic factors like ER/PR/Her-2, and the time frame. Some quote five year survival and some 10 year survival.

Different types of breast cancer: In general, invasive ductal or lobular has invaded through the wall of the duct or lubule into surrounding fatty and fibrous tisse and comes in several sub-types:

  • ER+, PR+, Her-2: These correlate with genomic subtype called Luminal A.
  • ER+, PR-, Her-2 + or PR+ but with very high proliferation: These correlate with Luminal B.
  • Any Her-2 +
  • ER-, PR-, Her-2 -: This is the triple negative breast cancer, often correlates with Basal-like.

2. What would you most like to communicate to women about prevention and early detection of breast cancer?

DO your breast self-exams! This has come off many guidelines because randomized clinical trials did not show a survival benefit. But I have many patients that could have found the cancer much earlier if they had practiced breast self-exam. About 10 perecent of breast cancers are the same density as other breast tissue, so they are “missed” by mammogram. Women should start mammograms at age 40 and do them every year until too sick to go.

Prevention: The most important thing is 30-45 minutes of healthy exercise, five to six days per week, and then maintaining a heatlhy weight and healthy diet. Avoid hormone replacement therapy after the few years of menopausal symptoms.

3. What are risk factors?

Being obese increases risk as does drinking alcohol. Genetic risk factors: Even one close relative increases risk, but not much (12-20 percent). The genetic mutations in BRCA 1 or 2 account for only five to 10 percent of all breast cancers and have families typically with many generations, many members in a generation, ovarian and breast cancer, and young age cancer.

4. How effective is genetic analysis in predicting breast cancer?

The BRCA 1 and 2 tests sequence the whole gene, and that tells if you have inherited a mutation but does not guarantee you will get the cancer.

5. What are the treatment options for women diagnosed with breast cancer?

Treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, hormonal therapy, and biological therapy.

6. What services/programs do you recommend for women diagnosed with breast cancer? 

Support is available at The Center; Simply the Breast is our group. Baylor, Harris, and my group have special Navigators who help breast cancer patients. There are support groups for the American Cancer Society at some locations. The Moncrief Cancer Institute has yoga classes, exercise classes, and survivorship resources. There are things like acupuncture and massage that we offer at The Center that can help with nausea or pain.

Dr Robyn YoungRobyn Young, M.D., is the director of the Breast Cancer Center of Excellence at The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, as well as the medical director at Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital High Risk Breast Cancer Clinic. Dr. Young served as medical director of the Breast Cancer Treatment Clinic at Scott & White Clinic and Hospital in Temple, Texas, for nearly 8 years. She earned her undergraduate degree from Stephen F. Austin State University and her medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Dr. Young completed her internship, residency, and fellowship (oncology and hematology) at State University of New York Health Science Center (SUNY) in Syracuse, New York.

 

In addition to treating patients diagnosed with breast cancer, Dr. Young strongly believes in prevention of this disease. She offers community talks on the many ways to actively work to protect yourself from developing breast cancer. If you would like to schedule a presentation for your organization, call Laura at 817.249.3480. For those who have had a breast biopsy with cancer cells identified or who have been told they have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, Dr. Young leads a high risk breast cancer survelliance clinic offering close monitoring for these patients. For more information on this service, call 817.820.4868.

Dr. Young has been honored as a Top Doctor by Fort Worth, Texas magazine and was selected for inclusion in the 2011 Texas Super Doctors list, as seen in Texas Monthly. The Fort Worth Business Press named her a Great Woman of Texas and a Health Care Hero. She was named a Hometown Hero in Parker County by the Careity Foundation in 2013. Dr. Young dedicates many hours to raising breast cancer awareness with countless speaking engagements to corporate, community, and charity groups. She, her husband, two children, and their many dogs and cats live in Aledo.

1 COMMENT

  1. I am not a healthcare professional, but I am a 44 year old who was diagnosed with Stage IIB invasive ductal carcinoma in January after I found my own lump. I had put off getting my baseline mastectomy for a couple of years thinking that I had no family history or risk factors, so there was no way I was going to get breast cancer. I’m very thankful that I felt myself up and made an appointment. After a mastectomy, chemo and radiation, I’m feeling well and looking forward to reconstruction and a healthy life.

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