Shannon Harvey Insurance

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I'm pleased to read that a number of recent advances will help prevent, detect and treat the disease that women dread so much. Among them:

• Tough cases get a little easier A new category of PARP inhibitors, when used along with chemo increased survival time by 50 percent in a recent study of patients with advanced breast cancer. Researchers are hopeful this striking improvement will hold up in further studies, as relatively few drugs work against breast cancer where tumors are lacking receptors for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2.
• Screenings get a fine tuning Family history, age, and whether you've had kids have been classic risk factors for breast cancer. A major review of studies suggests a woman's vulnerability after menopause is better estimated if you also consider the density of her breast tissue. Ask your physician if your mammmogram indicates dense tissue, and if it does a digital mammogram may help since it's more accurate for dense breasts.

If these are things that remind you to schedule your next appointment, keep in mind that National Mammography Day will be celebrated on October 16th. On this day some radiologists provide discounts or free mammogram screenings. It is smartest to hope for the best while planning for the worst.

For the last nineteen years, the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM) Board of Sponsor members have been working collectively to "Pass the Word" throughout the country that early detection of breast cancer saves lives. This year, they are depending on the general public to join in this national effort to "Pass the Word" to as many women as possible.

NBCAM offers several ways to "Pass the Word" this October on their website www.nbcam.org . In addition, the website contains several sources of more information about the importance of early detection.

National Mammography Day

National Mammography Day will be celebrated on October 16th. On this day some radiologists provide discounts or free mammogram screenings. Visit the website www.nbcam.org to find out how to get the list of facilities that will be participating in National Mammography Day.

Some peace of mind that lets you Focus on the fight...

For just pennies a day, many people own Cancer Insurance policies to supplement other medical insurance they may have. These policies will pay benefits directly to you, the insured (unless assigned), and can be used to help your family pay for expenses you would most likely incur when undergoing cancer treatment.

The benefits from this insurance can be used to cover things like lost income, childcare expenses, extraordinary housekeeping expenses, special diets, even meals and lodging away from home. It's peace of mind at a time when your mind needs to be focused on getting better.