Breast Cancer Awareness Month Research Articles

Using Twitter for breast cancer prevention: an analysis of breast cancer awareness month

BackgroundOne in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. The best-known awareness event is breast cancer awareness month (BCAM). BCAM month outreach efforts have been associated with increased media coverage, screening mammography and online information searching. Traditional mass media coverage has been enhanced by social media. However, there is a dearth of literature about how social media is used during awareness-related events. The purpose of this research was to understand how Twitter is being used during BCAM.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. We collected breast cancer- related tweets from 26 September - 12 November 2012, using Twitter’s application programming interface. We classified Twitter users into organizations, individuals, and celebrities; each tweet was classified as an original or a retweet, and inclusion of a mention, meaning a reference to another Twitter user with @username. Statistical methods included ANOVA and chi square. For content analysis, we used computational linguistics techniques, specifically the MALLET implementation of the unsupervised topic modeling algorithm Latent Dirichlet Allocation.ResultsThere were 1,351,823 tweets by 797,827 unique users. Tweets spiked dramatically the first few days then tapered off. There was an average of 1.69 tweets per user. The majority of users were individuals. Nearly all of the tweets were original. Organizations and celebrities posted more often than individuals. On average celebrities made far more impressions; they were also retweeted more often and their tweets were more likely to include mentions. Individuals were more likely to direct a tweet to a specific person. Organizations and celebrities emphasized fundraisers, early detection, and diagnoses while individuals tweeted about wearing pink.ConclusionsTweeting about breast cancer was a singular event. The majority of tweets did not promote any specific preventive behavior. Twitter is being used mostly as a one-way communication tool. To expand the reach of the message and maximize the potential for word-of-mouth marketing using Twitter, organizations need a strategic communications plan to ensure on-going social media conversations. Organizations may consider collaborating with individuals and celebrities in these conversations. Social media communication strategies that emphasize fundraising for breast cancer research seem particularly appropriate.

Audit on clinical coding of breast surgery clinic outcomes

Audit on clinical coding of breast surgery clinic outcomes

Breast cancer awareness month: Is it a waste of time?

Breast cancer awareness month: Is it a waste of time?

Breast cancer awareness month: does it really increase the breast cancer risk awareness?

Breast cancer awareness month: does it really increase the breast cancer risk awareness?

Breast cancer in pregnancy; routine examination, diagnosis and management: A case report

Pregnancy associated breast cancer is defined as breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy or in the first postpartum year. The incidence is rare; however it is important to be aware of its occurrence with the increased challenges posed by delays in diagnosis, treatment and optimization of maternal and fetal outcomes. The case report presented is of a 36 years old, Para 0 + 2 known diabetic and hypertensive pregnant woman, first seen in the antenatal clinic at 14 weeks of gestation. The patient requested for a breast examination following National campaigns conducted during the International Breast Cancer Awareness month. The examination revealed a grossly enlarged right breast with “peau de orange” skin changes. The patient eventually underwent radical mastectomy. Histopathology revealed a grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma with lymphovascular invasion (Stage TNM). This case is presented to highlight missed opportunities in antenatal clinic settings for screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer of the breast in pregnancy. The role of a multidisciplinary approach to management has also been emphasized.

Coverage of common cancers in UK national newspapers in relation to cancer awareness campaigns, 2011

BackgroundNewspapers are an important information source and coverage of major health issues can create strong public interest. The aim of this study was to examine newspaper coverage of the most common cancers and their relation to incidence and cancer awareness campaigns. MethodsMajor cancers were identified according to Cancer Research UK's figures on diagnosed cancers in 2008. The most common cancers were breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate. The Nexis newspaper database was used to search UK national newspapers. The search was done in March, 2012, and was limited to articles published in 2011. Articles were identified with the search terms “breast cancer”, “lung cancer”, “colorectal cancer” or “bowel cancer”, and “prostate cancer”. In the UK, these cancers are associated with cancer awareness campaigns. Cancer awareness months take place in March for prostate, April for bowel, October for breast, and November for lung cancer. A breakdown by the type of newspaper—broadsheet, tabloid, or middle-market—in which these articles were published was also produced. FindingsIn 2011, 5938 articles mentioned these cancers. 2725 (46%) articles published contained “breast cancer” followed by “prostate cancer” with 1265 (21%), “lung cancer” with 1106 (19%), and 842 (14%) articles containing either “bowel cancer” or “colorectal cancer”. This pattern was found in both broadsheet and tabloid newspapers. In middle-market newspapers, coverage of lung and bowel cancers was similar. The highest number of articles containing “breast cancer” was published in October, coinciding with breast cancer awareness month. “Prostate cancer” was most published in February, 1 month before the campaign month. “Lung cancer” was common in July and “bowel cancer” or “colorectal cancer” in November, both months that are distant from their respective awareness months. InterpretationThe reference to common cancers in UK newspaper articles is disproportionate to their incidence. Breast cancer is the most common cancer and has the highest number of articles stating it. Prostate cancer is the second most mentioned cancer; however, it ranks fourth in terms of diagnosis. Newspaper coverage does not always reflect the incidence of common cancers or the activity of cancer awareness campaigns. Newspapers, and the mass media in general, play an important part in influencing the opinions of the general public, and their engagement in cancer awareness could contribute to improved knowledge of symptoms that could lead to earlier diagnosis. FundingNone.

Spare a thought for your patients

October is well known as breast cancer awareness month. For nurses working in the specialty it is a time when energy goes into planning events, building displays and fundraising. Even high street shops raise money through donations on sales of specially designed products. However, some patients living with a breast cancer diagnosis may dread these constant reminders. It is important that nurses consider those for whom pink ribbons and balloons may trigger unpleasant memories.

Patient perspective: journey of a breast cancer survivor and her use of person-centered thinking tools

Patient perspective: journey of a breast cancer survivor and her use of person-centered thinking tools.

Exposé of Pinkwashing: Couldn’t be Timelier

Readers of Sex Roles will doubtless have heard of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation (http://ww5.komen. org/), now renamed Susan G Komen For the Cure, the largest breast cancer awareness fundraising organization in the world and one of the most successful charities in any domain. It is largely U. S.-based, but has a substantial global reach, begun in 2007 (http://ww5.komen.org/aboutus/ globalinitiatives.html). Many may even have participated in the runs, walks, and endless stream of consumer fundraisers (“Buy your Kentucky Fried Chicken in a Pink Ribbon bucket”) sponsored by Komen (as the Foundation is known) in many different countries. Founded in 1982, Komen now operates at the very highest levels of philanthropy, raising over $420million in 2010 for breast cancer awareness, screening, and research programs (Singer 2011). However, in the last year Komen has received negative publicity for its administrative style and conservative political choices, and has drawn the attention of investigative journalists. In October, 2011, during the annual Komenmade-famous “Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” New York Times business reporter Natasha Singer (2011) wrote a major article that raised many questions about the financial and corporate-friendly elements of Komen’s operations. And then, early in 2012, Komen announced its decision (reversed within a few days, but with continuing repercussions of diminished funding and top executive turnover) to stop funding breast cancer screening at Planned Parenthood for political reasons (Madison 2012). Whether the organization survives these turbulent times or not, Komen’s lasting contribution will have been to the nascent field of cause marketing to brand “pink ribbons” as the symbol of breast cancer and breast cancer awareness. Sociologist Samantha King (2008) provided a wonderful examination of how breast cancer advocacy (and cause marketing) got transformed from feminist grassrootsdriven activism to corporate-sponsored marketing in a book based on her dissertation. Her slim book packs a wallop of information and outrage, and it eventually came to the attention of documentarians. Now we have the film, Pink Ribbons, Inc, to bring the facts and perspectives of King’s book to the screen. It features lengthy interviews with a wide variety of leading players in the breast cancer fundraising and marketing controversies, from those who are pro-corporate philanthropy to long-time critics. In addition there are many scenes of the largest (and they are huge!) U. S. breast cancer fundraising and awareness events in New York, Washington, DC, San Francisco, and Montreal, along with poignant interviews with event participants who believe they are honoring their mothers, sisters and daughters as they raise money to fund research and services that they hope will cure cancer and save women’s lives. Also deeply moving are the interviews with a group of women with stage 4 (“there is no stage 5”) breast cancer who feel that pink ribbon culture makes women with advanced disease into losers who just didn’t try hard enough. They offer a unique and powerful critical perspective. Samantha King provides much of the sociohistorical background in her on-camera interviews, framing the growth of corporate health philanthropy as an outgrowth of Reaganomics, specifically its shift of responsibility for healthcare research and services away from government to the private sector. Barbara Brenner, former executive director of the anti-corporate grassroots group, Breast Cancer Action, talks about the misleading emphasis by mass media and patient groups like Komen on “early detection is the best protection.” She explains our growing understanding of the diversity among breast cancers and how detecting some early does no good, while detecting others early is unnecessary. Our whole notion of cancer as some sort of indwelling Not yet available for individual or educational sale.

ERIC ROSENTHAL REPORTS: Komen Undeterred by Pink October Criticism

ERIC ROSENTHAL REPORTS: Komen Undeterred by Pink October Criticism

Abstract LB-76: Services of a Cancer Center

Abstract The Cancer Center in Harare is part of the Cancer Association in Zimbabwe. It is a nonprofit organization supported by donations from the public. The outreach programs and cancer assistance services are given free to the patients, institutions and the community. The association was formed in Bulawayo, its headquarters, in 1959, and then in Harare in 1961. The center is committed to empowering clients and their families to cope with the crisis of dealing with cancer through a holistic approach which will enable the client to develop a positive attitude to the disease throughout their treatment. The center provides the community with information to promote healthy lifestyle choices and to increase public awareness on the prevention and early detection of cancer. The center seeks also seeks to: promote prevention of cancer through public awareness, talks and lectures; carry out counseling services and give psychological support; provide complimentary health therapies to those diagnosed of cancer; teach breast care, breast self examination and manages a breast care clinic; give nutritional advice to the cancer patients; and serve as a resource centre for patients through use of the library. The activities of the center include giving lectures, talks and print media to schools, corporate organizations and communities. Information on cancer is also given over radio, television and through the distribution of quarterly newsletters. Counseling services are provided to those diagnosed of cancer and their families. The organization also offers counseling services to patients in hospitals during chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The center provides a wide range of complimentary health therapies such as relaxation and meditation classes, aromatherapy (massage) reflexology, Reiki, shiatsu and use of rife therapy. Awareness campaigns are recognized and health education programs are intensified such as the worldwide recognized No Tobacco Day, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and World Cancer Day. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-76. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-76

Health awareness campaigns and diagnosis rates: Evidence from National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Awareness campaigns are often used to encourage medical screening that allows for early detection of health problems, but much remains unknown about the effectiveness of these programs. This paper evaluates whether National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) has led to increased diagnosis of breast cancer. The analysis examines the number of diagnoses made in November (1 month after NBCAM) during years before and after NBCAM was initiated. We find that from 1993 to 1995, the period when breast cancer advocacy was expanding rapidly into a nationwide movement, NBCAM led to an increase in the number of November diagnoses. During earlier periods (from the mid-1980s to the early-1990s), when breast cancer advocacy was still a nascent grassroots movement, and in later periods, when breast cancer advocacy had become a well-established nationwide cause, there is little evidence that October NBCAM events had an effect on November diagnoses.

Pretty in Pink: The Susan G. Komen Network and the Branding of the Breast Cancer Cause

No abstract available.

Tripping over Boundary-Stones: Reflections on Engaged Scholarship

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes 1. John Freely, Strolling Through Athens: Fourteen Unforgettable Walks Through Europe's Oldest City (London: Tauris Parke Paperbacks, 2004), 111. 2. Dwight Conquergood, “Between Rigor and Relevance: Rethinking Applied Communication,” in Applied Communication in the 21st Century, ed. K. N. Cissna (Mahwah, NJ: Hampton Press, 1995), 80, 85. 3. In addition to Cox, most notably: V. William Balthrop, Carole Blair, Lawrence Grossberg, D. Soyini Madison, Della Pollock, and Julia T. Wood. 4. Reviewer 1, decision letter for submission to Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, email message to author, June 20, 2009 (emphasis added). The essay since has been revised and accepted for that venue. 5. This trend is broader than the field of rhetoric. Though sometimes forgotten, for example, more contemporary cultural studies scholarship also was born of concern with the empirical world and not the theoretical. Perhaps most concise and well known is Stuart Hall's argument: “Theory is always a detour on the way to something more important.” Stuart Hall, “Old and New Identities, Old and New Ethnicities,” in Culture, Globalization and the World-System: Contemporary Conditions for the Representation of Identity, ed. Anthony D. King (London: Macmillan, 1991), 42. For more on cultural studies’ approach to theory as a detour rather than an end unto itself, see Jennifer Daryl Slack, “The Theory and Method of Articulation in Cultural Studies,” in Stuart Hall: Critical Dialogues in Cultural Studies, ed. David Morley and Kuan-Hsing Chen (London: Routledge, 1996), esp. 113–14. 6. Siva Vaidhyanathan, “The Googlization of Universities,” NEA 2009 Almanac of Higher Education, 2009, p. 66, http://www.nea.org/assets/img/PubAlmanac/ALM_09_06.pdf. I am indebted to Ted Striphas for sharing this timely essay with me and for providing feedback on this essay overall. 7. This paragraph was developed in dialogue with Rachel Hall; she generously has given me permission to borrow some of her thoughts and eloquence. Any errors or awkwardness undoubtedly are mine. 8. Debra Hawhee, Bodily Arts: Rhetoric and Athletics in Ancient Greece (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004); R. Marshall and A. Bleakley, “The Death of Hector: Pity in Homer, Empathy in Medical Education,” Medical Humanities 35 (2009): 10. 9. Rachel Hall, “‘It Can Happen to You’: Rape Prevention in the Age of Risk Management,” Hypatia 19 (2004): 1–19. 10. Phaedra C. Pezzullo, “Resisting ‘National Breast Cancer Awareness Month’: The Rhetoric of Counterpublics and Their Cultural Performances,” Quarterly Journal of Speech 89 (2003): 345–65; Phaedra C. Pezzullo, Toxic Tourism: Rhetorics of Pollution, Travel, and Environmental Justice (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2007); The Holland Dutch, “Toxic Tour,” Self-Starter, track 3, compact disc, 2008. The CD is available at The Holland Dutch, “Self-Starter,” cdbaby, http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/hollanddutch. Additional informationNotes on contributorsPhaedra C. PezzulloPhaedra C. Pezzullo is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Culture at Indiana University

Overlooking Evidence: Media Ignore Environmental Connections to Breast Cancer

In this article, the author reviews seven years' worth of major news media coverage of the role of environmental pollutants in the etiology of breast cancer. The time frame was 2002-2008 and the outlets studied included prominent newspapers, national news magazines, and network television news programs. Noting that a growing body of private, university, and government environmental health research has implicated a variety of common chemicals and radiation in the disease, the author looked for quantity and quality of coverage of two scientific metastudies during the specified time frame: State of the Evidence: The Connection Between Breast Cancer and the Environment and Environmental Pollutants and Breast Cancer: Epidemiological Studies. She also examined reporting on breast cancer in the month of October ("National Breast Cancer Awareness Month") during the seven years. Despite recent scientific findings, the news media have downplayed and frequently overlooked the evidence. None of the outlets studied covered the State of the Evidence report, and only one covered the Environmental Pollutants report. Breast Cancer Awareness Month similarly saw few articles or newscasts about environmental connections. The author attributes the dearth of coverage to several factors: journalists' lack of awareness about environmental health science, the seemingly higher standards of proof for research findings that implicate chemicals in disease than for other types of scientific research, establishments' lack of acceptance of environmental theories of breast cancer, and economic pressures on news outlets not to alienate their advertisers.

Challenges and hope for younger women with breast cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, and once again we can expect to see plenty of reminders that this most common form of cancer affects one in nine women during their lifetimes in the UK (Cancer Research UK, 2008). Hopefully, we will also hear about the variety of advances and promising new therapies for treating this disease.

Part II: cancer in medical dramas

In October, 2006, US television's Grey's Anatomy (ABC, Burbank, CA, USA) marked Breast Cancer Awareness Month by including a storyline in which a mother in her twenties was diagnosed with the disease. The changes in her breast had initially been attributed to the vicissitudes of pregnancy. It was, commented Kate Walsh, who played Dr Montgomery-Shepherd in the show, “a great opportunity to put storylines out there that are socially and medically relevant”.

Spreading the publicity

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the next few weeks we will see sponsored activities, fun runs and celebrity appearances all designed to help to raise awareness of, and funds for, a disease that affects around 40,000 women and kills 13,000 in the UK annually. Breast cancer patients benefit immensely from the high public profile that surrounds the disease, driven by energetic activists and campaigners. Unfortunately, as this issue of CNP illustrates, other cancers don’t fare so well in terms of public attention, causing patients undue suffering.

Breast cancer awareness: Star, Posh, Hot and Prime

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and for the 42000 women diagnosed this year with the disease, no one is more aware. It is difficult to get to grips with to write this editorial. My grandmother had breast cancer and in her day the only way to go was a radical mastectomy. There was no medical choice for her and she had to get on without prosthetics or reconstructive surgery, as these were both decades away.

In this Issue of Current Oncology

Beginning with this issue, which coincides with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Current Oncology is pleased to announce its association with Eli Lilly’s Oncology on Canvas. [...]