Women Stories has a series of videos featuring breast cancer survivors talking about specific topics related to their experiences. From initial diagnosis to issues such as surgical choices or hormone therapy and life after breast cancer, these videos provide information from women who have been there. A review board of medical professionals has approved all information in the videos. You can watch online or purchase a DVD set of all 10 videos.

This 3-ring binder/organizer is designed to help the newly diagnosed navigate the information and choices they are given. It contains hints, questions to ask, a calendar, a resource list and places to list your own questions and note your own research.

Available at http://www.theidealcancerorganizer.com/

Shariann Tom’s eight year struggle with Hodgkin's disease and lymphoma led her to a new career as a life coach and a desire to help others navigate the unexpected journey of a cancer diagnosis. Her CD, "The Cancer Journey Companion," contains guided visualizations that help you tap into your inner strength and deal with anxiety. You can find it at her website, http://unexpectedjourney.com

Sisters Network® Inc is committed to increasing local and national attention to the devastating impact that breast cancer has in the African American Community.

They run a variety of educational outreach programs as well as an annual conference. They have affiliate chapters in many states.

The M. Lau Breast Center at Princess Margaret Hospital has an extensive online booklet about survivorship issues. Some of it is Canadian-specific, and it's from 2002 so it may not be completely up to date about every issue, but it's a great starting point on thinking about issues a survivor faces -- from how to start an exercise routine to how to reconnect with a spouse.

TheBreastCareSite.com addresses the general needs of all who have been touched by breast cancer, including newly diagnosed patients and long time survivors, as well as their friends, family members and coworkers.

From Karen Lynch at Pink Ribbon Review comes a review of The Faces Behind Breast Cancer, a new picture book featuring portraits of breast cancer survivors in all their diversity with quotes about their experiences. The stories are those of the women and men that author Josephine Caruso Sethi met while undergoing her breast cancer treatment at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

From their website:

CURE is a quarterly magazine with an annual Resource Guide and special issue, that combines the science and humanity of cancer for those who have to deal with it on a daily basis. CURE provides scientific information in easy-to-understand language with equally understandable illustrations. It is published by CURE Media Group, LP.

CURE has a distinguished editorial board of physicians, nurses, and leaders in the field of quality-of-life issues.

On April 8th, Laura Landro of the Wall Street Journal reviewed two memoirs, both by women in their 30's who discover they have the BRCA breast- and ovarian-cancer gene mutation. As they consult doctors, friends and family, they wrestle with questions of health, ethics, family, history and the future.

Pretty Is What Changes
By Jessica Queller

A decrease in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) shows that chemotherapy is working in patients with metastatic breast cancer, according to the results of a Georgetown University study reported at the 2007 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. Periodic measurement of CTCs can indicate how well chemotherapy is working, allowing doctors to switch patients to a more effective course of treatment if there is poor treatment response.

A woman’s breast cancer recurrence risk can be significantly reduced with continued intake of the Novartis drug Femara (generically named letrozole), even long after she has stopped taking the estrogen blocker tamoxifen, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Femara or letrozole belongs to a new family of drugs called aromatase inhibitors, which block the production of estrogen that can lead to some types of cancer.

Both tamoxifen and chemotherapy reduce the long-term risk of developing a second cancer in the unaffected breast, according to a report published in the January 2, 2008 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The risk reduction lasts for at least 10 years with chemotherapy and 5 years with tamoxifen. The study analyzed 1,158 women who had cancer in one breast and an additional 634 who initially had cancer in one breast followed by development of cancer in the second breast.

These cancers have extra amounts of HER2 DNA, RNA, and protein. They usually have a high-grade appearance under the microscope. These cancers tend to grow rapidly and have a poor prognosis, although they often can be treated successfully with trastuzumab (Herceptin).

The luminal types are estrogen receptor-positive, usually low grade, and tend to grow slowly. The gene expression patterns of these cancers are similar to normal cells that line the breast ducts and glands (the lining of a duct or glad is called its lumen). Luminal A cancers have the best prognosis. Luminal B cancers generally grow somewhat faster than the luminal A cancers and their prognosis is not quite as good.

Three genomic tests separately predict the likelihood that a patient's breast cancer will recur after surgery without additional treatment, and the cancer's vulnerability to chemotherapy or hormone therapy, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report at the first American Society of Clinical Oncology ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium Sept. 7-8 in San Francisco.

Women diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer who have also endured previous traumatic or stressful events see their cancer recur nearly twice as fast as other women, according to a report by a University of Rochester Medical Center scientist.

Click here to watch as Larry Norton, Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Breast Cancer Programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, provides an overview of the latest advances in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

In premenopausal women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer, drugs that stop the ovaries from functioning — thus shutting off the body's main source of the hormone estrogen — reduced the rates of relapse and of death following relapse when given in addition to tamoxifen, chemotherapy, or both.

* M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX
* Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
* Johns Hopkins Hospital, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD
* Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
* Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN
* Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC
* University of Michigan Medical Center, Anna Arbor, MI
* UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
* University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
* University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle, WA

http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/find-a-doctor-hospital.html
Collection of a number of sites that provide listings of top oncologists and hospitals for breast cancer research. Included are lists complied by: AARP, Castle Connolly, Hospital Compare (government-sponsored), and Medline Plus, among others. Also included is a link to a site where users can recommend a doctor or a hospital for any specialty. Also provides information on symptoms, treatment, drug resources, etc.

http://www.cancereducation.com/CancerSysPages/findanoncologist.cfm
Find a physician or treatment center, free membership grants full access to the site, includes information for all types of cancers.

http://www.hhs.gov/breastcancer/reference.html#reference3
Links to mammogram facilities, hospitals currently conducting clinical trials, provider directories (also in Spanish), and resources for those on Medicare and Medicaid

Dana Farber Cancer Institute is currently launching a large prospective cohort study in eastern Massachusetts to follow young women with breast cancer over a period of 10 years in an attempt to address many of the unanswered questions facing younger patients.

For more information, please contact Meghan Meyer, research coordinator, at (617) 632-4983 or mmeyer1@partners.org.

A new study at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute looks at the long-term effects of breast cancer chemotherapy on the ovaries of young women compared to women who have not received chemotherapy.

Knowledge of how well ovaries work following treatment is important information for young women with breast cancer. An evaluation of views about fertility for women with and without a history of breast cancer will also be conducted to better understand fertility concerns in all young women.

Studies continue to uncover lifestyle factors and habits that alter breast cancer risk. Ongoing studies are looking at the effect of exercise, weight gain or loss, and diet on breast cancer risk.

Studies on the best use of genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations continue at a rapid pace. Other genes that contribute to breast cancer risk are also being identified. This will occur more rapidly now that the human genome has been sequenced.

http://www.bcrfcure.org/index.html
A non-profit organization with a mission to achieve the prevention and cure of breast cancer by providing funding for clinical and genetic research at medical centers worldwide and raising public awareness of good breast health.

http://www.natlbcc.org/
Advocacy, information, news, events, training, and education, free booklet "Guide to quality breast cancer care"

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/breast_cancer/article_em.htm
Comprehensive site that takes users well beyond diagnosis and treatment into outlook, next step, and follow-up. Also provides a list of support groups and counseling resources and web links for more information.

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/default.htm
Includes overview, latest headlines, blogs, message boards, FAQ about general topics related to breast cancer as well as medication and treatment options

http://www.hhs.gov/breastcancer/
Reference collections (including diagrams and anatomy), support and daily living guides, statistics and information on everything from what breast cancer is and who it affects to screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/breast
Online booklet–"œWhat you need to know about breast cancer," recent news, drug dictionary, a variety of links on screening a testing, research, literature, clinical trials, treatment, causes, statistics, etc. Site is also offered in Spanish.

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/
Resource library (basics, treatment, newly diagnosed, screening and prevention, living with breast cancer, recent medical news), video for those recently diagnosed, FAQ; very user-oriented

http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm
Detailed information and FAQ page from risk factors and prevention to diagnosis to life after treatment, also, information on complementary therapies and financing; very user-oriented

Breast cancer patients who are being treated or who have completed treatment can achieve stable or improved cardiovascular and pulmonary function, and reduce their fatigue levels, by participating in a supervised exercise training program, and published in the August 15th issue of Cancer.

A study by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston measured insulin and blood glucose levels in 101 women. Half were assigned to a 16-week regimen of mixed cardiovascular and strength training, while the other half had normal care. The study found that the women who exercised had lowered their insulin measurements by an amount that approached statistical significance.

According to the results of a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, breast cancer survivors who engage in regular physical activity and eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables have a significantly reduced risk of death. The benefit of the healthy behaviors applied to both obese and non-obese women.

According to two studies published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, exercise–whether traditional aerobic or resistance exercise or yoga–provides important benefits to breast cancer survivors. These studies provide additional information about the effects of exercise during and after breast cancer treatment. In the first study, women receiving adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer were assigned to participate in supervised aerobic or resistance exercise or to receive usual care.

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/nutrition-exercise

Nutrition and exercise guide for use during treatment

http://www.ymcaboston.org/main/programs/women's_wellness/the_pink_program/

Medically-based health and fitness program for breast cancer survivors; developed with Brigham and Women"™s hospital to improve health and fitness in areas most affected by cancer treatment; private counseling before the program begins.

http://www.ywcaencore.org.au/about/aroundtheworld.php

Currently only in Japan, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, but support groups available in US–full program contains exercise program designed specifically for woman who have had breast surgery

A study by the National Cancer Institute found a modest increase in cancer risk for postmenopausal women who eat a high fat diet. The study followed 188,736 postmenopausal women for 4.4 years and found that women whose diets contained the most fat were 15% more likely to develop breast cancer than women who ate the least fat.

Good nutrition and moderate exercise can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer by as much as 50 percent, even among women who are overweight or obese, according to new research conducted by the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California in San Diego and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

A large US study by the Kaiser Permanente Medical Program suggests that it did not matter whether women drank beer, wine or spirits, they all raised the risk of breast cancer to the same extent. The study found that the increase in breast cancer risk due to three or more alcoholic drinks a day is similar to that posed by smoking a pack of cigarettes or more a day.

The National Cancer Research Institute conference in Birmingham, UK earlier this month heard that middle-aged women who lose weight and exercise twice weekly are 40% less likely to develop breast cancer. Prof. Tony Howell, an oncologist at Manchester University Hospital Trust, said weight loss was the key factor, followed by a low-fat diet with plenty of oily fish.

For women with a strong family history that was not associated with known cancer syndromes, dietary factors may be associated with breast density, a strong predictor of breast cancer risk, according to a study published in Breast Cancer Research. Among 157 high-risk women, breast density was inversely associated with Vitamin D intake; by contrast, higher than average protein intake was associated with higher breast density.

Extra Fruits and Vegetables Don't Cut the Risk of Future Breast Cancer A diet high in fruits, vegetables, and fiber and somewhat lower in fat did not protect early-stage breast cancer survivors from further breast cancer, nor did it help them live longer, according to the July 18, 2007, Journal of the American Medical Association.

A study by the National Cancer Institute found a modest increase in cancer risk for postmenopausal women who eat a high fat diet. The study followed 188,736 postmenopausal women for 4.4 years and found that women whose diets contained the most fat were 15% more likely to develop breast cancer than women who ate the least fat.

By: Geralyn Lucas

Book Description from Amazon.com:

By: Margit Esser Porter

Book Description from Amazon.com:

By: Hester Hill Licsw Schnipper

Publisher's Weekly Review, from Amazon.com

By: Jacci Thompson-Dodd

Review from Amazon.com:

By: Marisa Weiss
Review from Amazon.com:

"Breast cancer is never completely over," says author Marisa C. Weiss, M.D., a radiation oncologist. Even when x-rays are negative and doctors proclaim remission, breast-cancer survivors often suffer from continued health problems along with elevated levels of anxiety, and the specter of recurrence is just a small part of the picture.

By: Leila Peltosaari

Book Description from Amazon.com:
125 women share their real-life experience through treatments, recovery, aftermath, and reclaiming life after breast cancer.

I just wanted to tell a little of my story of my run-in with "Breast Cancer" and how I've gotten through it by, "The Grace of God". I was diagnosed in December 2001, had surgery right away with reconstruction. When it first hit me that I had Breast Cancer I was devastated. I was at work and I couldn't think, the phones was ringing around me and I didn't pay any attention to them. Someone was even trying to speak to me and I didn't hear them. What I did hear was a small voice inside of me staitng that it wasn't the end of the world.

Perlegen Sciences plans to commercialize a new diagnostic test of breast cancer susceptibility. The markers were identified through research conducted by the University of Cambridge, Cancer Research Technology (CRT), and Cancer Research U.K. The study, published in the June issue of Nature, identified novel breast cancer susceptibility markers that are present in approximately 20% of U.K. breast cancer cases.

Studies show that older women are under-diagnosed and under-treated for breast cancer. Often age, rather than health status, is the deciding factor in determining how to care for the 80+ set. A recent article in Cancer has linked under-treatment to a greater risk of breast cancer recurrence in older women.

Women with early stage breast cancer who receive a newer type of radiation called intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) develop significantly fewer side effects than women who receive traditional radiation therapy, according to a study released today in the August 1 edition of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, the official journal of ASTRO (American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology).

Breast cancer survivors who received both chemotherapy and radiotherapy report the most severe and prolonged fatigue, according to a study by the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. The findings, published in the journal Cancer, provides strong evidence that women with non-metastatic breast cancer treated with adjuvant chemotherapy are at significantly greater risk for severe fatigue.

More than 10 percent of women with breast cancer stopped taking the commonly prescribed aromatase inhibitors (a type of drug designed to block the production of estrogen) because of joint and muscle pain, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. The researchers are looking at interventions to determine how to manage the musculoskeletal side effects of these drugs. Symptoms almost always improve after stopping the drug.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, are working to predict the likelihood that breast cancer will spread to other parts of the body. The findings, published in the journal Molecular Systems Biology, offer new mechanistic insights into breast cancer metastasis -- and who will respond to chemotherapy.

The results of several studies confirm previous reports suggesting that chemotherapy offers little or no survival benefits for young women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers and, if given, should not be the sole second-phase or adjuvant therapy.

The widely used chemotherapy drug Taxol does not work for the most common form of breast cancer and helps far fewer patients than has been believed, According to a University of Michigan study. In the study, Taxol did the most good for women who had overactive HER-2 genes — the target of the newer breast cancer drug Herceptin. These women were about 40% less likely to have a recurrence if they received Taxol.

Data from large randomized clinical trials published in the November issue of Current Opinion in Oncology have indicated that the third-generation aromatase inhibitors (letrozole, anastrozole and exemestane) are more effective than tamoxifen as adjuvant therapy in postmenopausal women with operable breast cancer when given either initially, or sequentially following initial tamoxifen therapy,

By: M. Porter Book

By: Yvonne Manley

By: Susan M. Love and Karen Lindsey

By: Mary Olsen Kelly

Review from Amazon.com:
I appreciate that author Mary Olsen Kelly has produced this very useful book for patients before, during and after treatments. The tools and tips are excellent, and the stories in each chapter bring to life the situations where these tools and tips will be most needed. --A. Lindberg, Coordinator Cancer Resource Center

By: Carolyn M. Kaelin, Francesca Coltrera, Josie Gardiner, Joy Prouty

Description from Amazon.com:

Exciting new research reveals that regular exercise can reduce the chance of breast cancer recurrence and extend your life. Exercise can also help you recover energy, strength, and flexibility diminished by lifesaving breast cancer treatments.

By: Carolyn M. Kaelin and Francesca Coltrera

Book Description from Amazon.com:
A compassionate guide to surviving breast cancer from a doctor who has experienced it from both sides of the stethoscope

In addition to being a leading national breast cancer expert and a highly respected cancer surgeon, Dr. Carolyn Kaelin also is a breast cancer survivor. In Living Through Breast Cancer she draws upon her experiences as both doctor and patient to offer you a priceless source of understanding, support, and guidance on coping with and beating breast cancer.

By: Elizabeth Edwards

By: Patti Balwanz, Kim Carlos, Jennifer Johnson, and Jana Peters

Book Description from Amazon.com:
The true story of four friends diagnosed with breast cancer before they were thirty, and the monthly luncheon that lifted their spirits.

By the American Cancer Society
Second Edition
Book Description from Amazon.com:

Gentle and informative guidance to get you through the physical and emotional aspects of the breast cancer experience

The Trial Assigning IndividuaLized Options for Treatment (Rx), or TAILORx, was launched to examine whether genes that are frequently associated with risk of recurrence for women with early-stage breast cancer can be used to assign patients to the most appropriate and effective treatment. TAILORx is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and is coordinated by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG).

In women with early-stage breast cancer who had been treated with breast-conserving lumpectomy and radiation, an additional "boost" dose of radiation to the original tumor site reduced the risk of cancer coming back in the same breast, though it did not help them live longer.

http://www.y-me.org/
24 hour phone support; survivor/partner match program, wig and prosthesis bank

http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/
Support groups and information for cancer survivors and people currently undergoing treatment. Breast cancer specific boards, as well as boards by region and links to area meetings

http://www.youngsurvival.org/community/
Survivor stories, bulletin board, profiles, and volunteer opportunities, as well as information about coalitions

http://www.breastcancer.org/community/

http://www.bcsupport.org/