31 Days of “Little Known” FACTS — For Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Day 28 — Risks of Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy! New Study Shows NO Benefit for DCIS
Did you know… Despite experts not recommending sentinel lymph node biopsies, between 17% and 40% of women with DCIS currently undergo this unnecessary procedure that comes with serious side effects. Risks of sentinel lymph node biopsies: Pain, wound infection, and lymphedema, a painful condition that can restrict a woman’s arm movements. Patient advocate Ann Fonfa, […]
31 Days of “Little Known” FACTS — For Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Day 24 — The Word “Cancer” is Scary & Misleading for DCIS
Did you know… Several breast cancer experts over the last 10+ years have questioned whether the word “carcinoma” should be removed from DCIS (Ductal Carcinoma in Situ). “Because of the noninvasive nature of DCIS, coupled with its favorable prognosis, strong consideration should be given to remove the anxiety-producing term “carcinoma” from the description of DCIS.” […]
31 Days of “Little Known” FACTS — For Breast Cancer Awareness Month — Day 8 — Overdiagnosis Devastates Lives
Did you know… Overdiagnosis of DCIS Devastates the Lives of Tens of Thousands of Healthy Women Every Year. In this country, the huge jump in D.C.I.S. diagnoses potentially transforms some 50,000 healthy people a year into “cancer survivors” and contributes to the larger sense that breast cancer is “everywhere,” happening to “everyone.” That, in turn, […]
Video of Donna’s Journey: 2009 – 2015
It’s been 6 years. Click on this link to watch a video summarizing my journey. In addition to empowering women diagnosed with DCIS, I recently created a nonprofit with the mission to empower women to #LiveWELL and #BeWISE. Please check out: Give Wellness. Thank you for your love and support!
Why the “Standard of Care” Must Change
Despite clear evidence from the most extensive study to date on DCIS — that there is no benefit to surgery, radiation and drugs (“standard of care” treatment for DCIS) — and despite significant harms of these treatments — doctors will most likely not be making any protocol changes. During a KPBS interview, Dr Reema Batra, stated the “standard […]
DCIS is NOT a “Ticking Time Bomb” — What Women Really Need to Know
Celebrity chef Sandra Lee was told by her doctors she was “a ticking time bomb.” Is it any wonder that she and thousands of women like her are racing to the operating room to amputate both their breasts? Why such radical treatment for DCIS? “Right now, we have women getting bilateral mastectomies for ductal carcinoma […]
DCIS is NOT Cancer!
“DCIS is not cancer, so why are we calling it cancer and always treating it like it is cancer?” These are the words of Dr. Laura Esserman, Director of the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at the University of California, San Francisco. She posed this question while speaking at the Australian Breast Cancer Conference […]