By Valerie Stingley

Cancer Survivor

Relationships are the very core to human existence.  With a diagnosis of breast cancer, relationships including medical, family and friends, spiritual and oneself become even more of a foundation for your survival.

By Robert “Bob” Harris, MD and Steven Speights, MD

As most women who are menopausal or have estrogen deprivation from breast cancer treatment know, vulvovaginal atrophy, or as laypeople call it, “dry vagina”, can be a debilitating issue.  Lack of estrogen results in the walls of the vagina becoming thinner, pale, and less elastic and more prone to trauma. The vagina loses hydration causing loss of lubrication, disrupting the natural pH balance of the vagina. This can result in itching, burning, painful sex, and chronic UTI’s. These symptoms are estimated to affect over half of menopausal women and almost all breast cancer survivors, who are usually “menopausal” as a side effect from cancer treatments. This can be especially troubling for breast cancer survivors as many times they are younger and more sexually active.  Since estrogen is not usually a choice for treatment, there have been no good options……. until now.

By Jami Watson

Cancer Survivor

As a two time breast cancer survivor, I cannot express enough the importance of relationship. Cancer is a beast in itself and should never be fought alone!!

By Natale Sheehan, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Oncology

University of Mississippi

We evaluate for three receptors, which are estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and HER2/neu. If cancer cells lack estrogen and progesterone receptors and don’t express too much HER2/neu, then we categorize these breast cancers triple negative and denote them as ER-/PR-/Her2-.

By Joseph Maher, MD

Professor of Medicine

Genetics

University of Mississippi Medical Center

Approximately 5 percent to 10 percent of breast cancers are related to women having inherited a gene that leads to a high (although not absolute) risk of developing breast cancer during her lifetime, and sometimes other cancers such as ovarian cancer. 

By Dr. Mildred Ridgway

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Gynecologic oncologist

University of Mississippi Medical Center

If there’s one message I want to convey to women, it is to simply say don’t skip your Pap smear.  I fight the disease of cervical cancer every day with patients who don’t deserve to have the disease and certainly don’t deserve to die from it.  The Pap smear and the HPV vaccine are the best tools we have to prevent the disease and catch it early.

By Sara Roberts

Cancer Survivor

Predictability is my friend. My husband frequently calls me a "rule follower." Spur of the moment is not my idea of fun. I have never welcomed change ... until I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

By Dr. Thomas J Payne, PhD

Professor, Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Sciences

Director, ACT Center Statewide Network for Tobacco Treatment, Education and Research

President, Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence

University of Mississippi Medical Center

We thought we would share this information since November is officially Lung Cancer Awareness Month and The Great American Smokeout Day is November 19:

By Dr. John Preston Parry

Director, Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology

University of Mississippi Medical Center

I have so much respect for women facing breast cancer. Not only do you find the strength for your own physical and mental health, but you often have to carry your family and friends’ anxieties and uncertainties. (If you didn’t have to shoulder everything before the diagnosis, why should you now?) My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer while I was in school and her stoicism and experiences significantly influenced my decision to become an OB/GYN. More importantly, thanks to good care, in a few months she will be a 26-year survivor. 

By Dr. Barbara S. Craft, MD

Director, Breast Cancer Treatment

and Prevention Program

I have had the privilege for a number of years now to work with a highly-specialized team of cancer specialists at UMMC.   Each day, our mission is the same: to eradicate breast cancer and to care for the person battling the disease.  While overall, almost 90% of breast cancers affect women over 45, patients treated at our Cancer Institute are typically younger (early 40s) and have breast cancers that can be more difficult to treat. I am always amazed by these Young Breast Cancer Survivors and their ability to persevere under difficult circumstances.