Breast Cancer—Early Detection and Screening

October is breast cancer awareness month but women need to be aware of breast health all year long.

“Despite the magnificent strides in breast cancer research, women still need to adhere to screening guidelines recommended for their age group, especially if they have
a family history of breast cancer,” says Catherine Parker, M.D., a fellowship trained breast cancer surgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

According to the American Cancer Society, there will be 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer among U.S. women in 2017. And finding breast cancer early is one of the most important strategies to prevent death from the disease. When breast cancer is found early, it is small and has not spread, making it easier to treat successfully.

“The good news is that we’re living in a time when women are surviving the disease. In fact, the population of survivors is expected to grow,” says Parker. “However, we still need to be vigilant and take measures to protect ourselves.”

The ACS recommends that women who are at average risk for breast cancer start getting mammograms yearly at age 45 but have the choice to start having annual mammograms at age 40. Women 55 and older should switch to mammograms every 2 years, or continue yearly screening.

“Mammograms do not detect every breast cancer. Women at every age should be familiar with how their breasts normally look and feel, as well as be familiar with signs and symptoms of breast cancer,” says Parker. Although there are differing opinions about the benefits of self-breast exams, it is important for patients to know the proper technique, what to look for, and what is their normal; for example, has one breast always been smaller or has one nipple always turned inward; therefore, self-breast awareness should begin in late teens and early 20’s.

The most common symptom of breast cancer is a new lump or mass in the breast. A painless, hard mass that has uneven edges is more likely to be cancer, but breast cancers can be tender, soft, or rounded. For this reason, it is important to have any new breast mass, lump, or change in breast checked by a health care professional.

Other possible symptoms of breast cancer include:
• Swelling of all or part of a breast (even if no distinct lump is felt)
• Skin irritation or dimpling of the skin
• Breast or nipple pain
• Nipple retraction (turning inward)
• Redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
• Nipple discharge (other than breast milk)

For women who have a family history of breast cancer, the UAB Breast Health Center offers comprehensive guidance on risk assessment, genetic testing, screenings, and prevention strategies. Furthermore, the Center takes a multidisciplinary approach to cancer care. When patients are diagnosed with breast cancer they are immediately assigned a team of specially trained breast cancer experts (a medical oncologist, radiologist and surgeon) who are able to give them individualized recommendations regarding their diagnosis, treatment, surgery, and recovery. The clinic is also able to offer first and second opinions for any problems related to the breast.

“The program is also able to offer screening and clinical management for women who have an increased risk of both ovarian cancer and breast cancer,” says Parker.


For more information about early detection and screening, click here.

Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2017, 22,440 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and 14,080 women will die from the disease. Ovarian cancer deaths account for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. However, the rate of ovarian cancer diagnosis has been slowly decreasing over the last 20 years.

Ovarian cancer begins in the ovaries. Ovaries are reproductive glands that only women have to produce eggs. The ovaries are made up of three different types of cells and all three cell types can develop into a different type of tumor.

It is important for women to know the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer so that the cancer can be detected early and the patient can begin treatment. Symptoms include:

• Bloating
• Pelvic or abdominal pain
• Trouble eating or feeling full quickly
• Urinary symptoms such as urgency or frequency

“The problem with ovarian cancer is that it is often diagnosed at a late stage,” says Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center. “The symptoms are often associated with more common and less serious conditions, and most women wait to get it checked out.” 

Birrer, a medical oncologist, confirms that when ovarian cancer is detected at an early stage the cancer remains confined to the ovary and is often more easily treated.  “Frequency of the symptoms should help women know when to consider seeking additional help from their doctor.”

If you have symptoms similar to those of ovarian cancer almost daily for more than a few weeks, and they can't be explained by other more common conditions, report them to your health care professional, preferably a gynecologist, right away. Other symptoms can include: fatigue, upset stomach, back pain, constipation, pain during sex, menstrual changes and abdominal swelling with weight loss.

“I always say that it’s best for women to be in tune with their bodies,” says Birrer.

Physicians typically provide a physical exam which includes a pelvic exam to look for an enlarged ovary, they may refer you to a gynecologic oncologist who may conduct additional testing including a computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or ultrasound. 

Many women mistakenly believe a Pap test, a cervical smear test, can detect ovarian cancer.  In some unusual cases it may, but so far there is no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer.  Better ways to screen for ovarian cancer are currently being researched.  

Become a Cancer Champion: Enroll in CPS-3

Last year, the American Cancer Society launched its Cancer Prevention Study-3, a historic research study enrolling at least 300,000 adults from various racial/ethnic backgrounds from across the U.S. in order to better understand the lifestyle, behavioral, environmental and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer and to ultimately eliminate cancer as a major health problem for this and future generations.

Today, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, along with the American Cancer Society, launched our own effort to help CPS-3. Between now and October 2-3, we at the Cancer Center will be working with our colleagues within UAB to recruit and enroll 1,201 individuals in the CPS-3 study. In doing so, we will be tremendously helping the ACS to reach its recruitment goal.

Cancer affects everyone, and our employees at UAB are no exception. I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in a video explaining CPS-3 with several UAB employees, all of whom have been touched by cancer, which you can watch below.


Help scientists better understand cancer. Enroll in the CPS-3 study from uabnews on Vimeo.

For more information on the study, as well as how to enroll, you can visit our website. I highly encourage you to join me in participating and helping us achieve our vision of a world where cancer is no longer a major public health problem.

-Ed Partridge, M.D.

Too Much Pink? Or Not Enough?

As Breast Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, it's been incredibly rewarding to see the sheer number of pink events that have occurred across our community this year. It seems that October gets "pinker" every year, which I think is a very great thing.

But for some, the question has arisen: Is there too much pink, and is it glamorizing breast cancer? To answer the first part of that question, I say no. The amount of awareness generated by pink events is tremendous, and even more importantly, the amount of research dollars raised has allowed us to make significant advancements in the understanding and treatment of the disease. As I've said many times before, research is the foundation for eliminating cancer, and without it, all cancers - including breast cancer - would be a death sentence, like they were just a few decades ago.

As for whether breast cancer is becoming glamorous, it is important to remember the realities of this disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 230,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2011, and more than 39,000 deaths will occur because of it. And while the overall five-year survival rate is around 89 percent, it is still the second-leading cause of cancer death among women (after lung cancer).

I do, however, encourage you to do your research to make sure your donations go to the right cause or organization, such as the American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, or us at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, where 100 percent of your donation will go directly toward research.

So, is there too much pink? No, there isn't. But we need more colors! For instance, November is both lung cancer and pancreatic cancer awareness month. Wouldn't it be great to see Birmingham covered in pearl for lung cancer and purple for pancreatic cancer? Or in teal for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in September? Or dark blue for March's Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month? We should not, and must not, limit cancer awareness for one month out of the year.

Cancer is a 24-7-365 fight, and we need to be all in this together. I thank you for your support!

-Ed Partridge, M.D.

Funding Research Saves Lives

Yesterday, the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center hosted some of Alabama's congressional delegation staff for a briefing on the importance of sustained funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for cancer research. This event was co-hosted by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS-CAN) and the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB).

We collectively briefed the staffers on the important role that the Cancer Center plays nationally in translational cancer research (moving findings from the laboratory bench to the patient bedside) and how NIH funding not only sustains our advances in cancer research, but also provides significant economic impact to our city and region.

Speakers included Robert Morris, Vice President of Health Initiatives for the American Cancer Society's Mid-South Division; Dr. Richard Marchase, Vice President of Research and Economic Development at UAB; Molly Daniels, Deputy President of ACS-CAN; Dr. Warner Huh, a Cancer Center gynecologic oncologist; and Dr. Carol Garrison, UAB President.

We also had a very passionate and excellent presentation by Allison Lancaster, a cervical cancer survivor from Dothan, who spoke about how important research was to her during her cancer experience. Ms. Lancaster is a perfect example of the power of research and why we as cancer researchers do the work we do - to save lives.

-Ed Partridge, M.D.

National Partners...Coming Together

Today, I am traveling to Washington, D.C., as president of the American Cancer Society Board of Directors to meet with the presidents of the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association, among others.

The purpose of this meeting is for more in-depth discussion regarding the Preventive Health Partnership between these three organizations. The Partnership was initiated in 2004 with the recognition that cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer are, to a large extent, preventable.

Physical inactivity, poor diet and obesity are risk factors for each of these diseases, as well as tobacco use for cancer and cardiovascular disease. During this meeting, we will be discussing ways to enhance our prevention strategies through greater collaboration. I look forward to updating you on our progress!

-Ed Partridge, M.D.