Womens health

ribbon icon by nicole hammond

a d v e rt i s i n g s e c t i o n

PLUS:

Twenty years of progress in cancer prevention, detection,

and treatments has made survivorship the new norm.

Race for the

Cures return
to Southdale!
Page 106.

by amanda lepinski

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One in three women

will develop a form of genderbased cancer in her lifetime. But
today, 55 percent will survive
their diagnosis and live cancerfree. In 1989, the five-year
survival rate for breast cancer
was 75 percent. Today the fiveyear survival rate is 100 percent
for women with stage 0 or I
cancer, and 93 percent for stage
II. Incredibly, breast cancer
mortality rates have dropped
by about 30 percent since 1990,
says Kathryn Moore, oncologist
at Park Nicollet Frauenshuh
Cancer Center. Right now,
there are 4.2 million women with
a history of cancer living cancerfree in the United States. This
is called survivorship. And, next
to eradicating cancer entirely,
its what the Twin Cities medical
community works for. Its what
those diagnosed with cancer
live for. What has changed
during the past 20 years to
make cancer survivorship more
than just possible but the norm
for so many? Heres what our
hometown medical heroes say.

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Better Prevention
Research has made a major
impact with prevention
methods. Now we know that
smokers who quit for five years cut their
cancer risk in half. There are now better
detection methods, like genetic testing
for BRCA1 and BRCA2 that help people
make medical decisions to cut or lower
their cancer risk before its too late.
Researchers are also working on vaccines that prevent cancer. Gardasil, a vaccine that targets strains of HPV known
to cause cervical cancer, is now widely
available. [Due to Gardasil] in the past

decade, I have definitely seen a decrease

in the number of women with abnormal
Pap smears who need treatment. Theres
now a cancer that can be prevented with a
combination of vaccine and regular doctor
visits, says Annelise Swigert, obstetrics
and gynecology physician at Southdale
OB/GYN Consultants in Edina.
Early Detection
It saves lives. More women
are getting their mammograms. In 1994, about 61
percent of women over 40 had a mammogram, now that number is about 67

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percent. Today, doctors recommend mammograms sooner in patients with a family

history of breast cancer. And genetic testing has become a real and effective tool.
Testing helps women know if they have
a high risk of developing some cancers,
which may lead to the decision for elective mastectomies and hysterectomies as
prevention measures. Genetic counselors
help people understand their risks based
on their genetics. Its a career, and a prevention approach, that barely existed 20
years ago.
And research on better tests for harderto-detect cancers, like ovarian cancer, is
showing promise. What research is
gearing toward now for ovarian cancer is
developing a test like a Pap smear or mammogram that can detect ovarian cancer at
very early stages, says Swigert. We dont
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have that right now. But with several

large studies now in progress, the hope is
to have it soon.
New Treatments
During the past 20 years, as
researchers have a better
understanding of the ways
various cancers develop and thrive, drugs
have been created to target those causes.
Were not at the point where we can
send someones tumor tissue off and give
them a drug that targets that mutation, but
thats the direction cancer care is going,
says Moore.

For instance, a major breakthrough in

drug treatments occurred in 1998 when
the HER2-targeting drug received FDA
approval. This drug reduces the risk of
recurrence of this particular type of breast
cancer by more than 50 percent in combination with standard chemotherapy
drugs, says Kamran Darabi, medical
director at Ridgeview Hematology and
Oncology Clinic.
Speaking of chemotherapy, it has also
improved. Chemo can now be minutely
customized to the type and severity of
cancer, which minimizes side effects
and maximizes survivorship. This is par-

tree illustration by Alex Belomlinsky; pharmacy leaf icon by Rmy mdard

Annelise Swigert,
Southdale OB/GYN Consultants

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ticularly true for women with ovarian

cancer. There are long-term survivors
of ovarian cancer with 10-year survival
rates of 40 percentand those are the
patients with really advanced disease,
says Anne Blaes, hematologist and
oncologist at the University of
Minnesota, Breast Center and
Masonic Cancer Clinic.
Living with it are words that are
often true for women with breast cancer
as well. Breast cancer nowadays, especially stage IV disease, is seen almost as
a chronic disease that requires continued treatment but that people can live
with, sometimes for many, many years,
says Moore.
A Holistic
Approach
The shift to treat the
whole person, not just
the cancer, has been a major transfor-

mation in the care plans for women

diagnosed. Michaela Tsai, a physician
of medical oncology, hematology, and
clinical research, says that at Abbott
Northwestern and the Piper Breast
Center (where she treats patients),
women are greeted by a volunteer in
street clothes rather than scrubs and
offered a cup of tea while they wait. If
youre diagnosed with cancer, youre
assigned a nurse navigator who is your
go-to person to walk you through the
entire process. That person is available days, weeks, months, years later,
Tsai says. And thats just one way cancer patients are seen as people first.
Massage, reiki, aromatherapy, music
therapy, and meditation instruction are
all integrative health treatments that can
be available to women with cancer.
Since survivorship is common, starting a family after cancer is common too,
so doctors are working with younger

Taming Chemos Side Effects

Its a treatment that patients sometimes need.

Heres what the past two decades have taught
us about chemo:

Chemo nausea. Chemotherapy has become a bit more

bearable in recent years, physician and researcher Michaela
Tsai says, thanks to improved anti-nausea drugs, which cut
down on the extreme persistent sick feelings women had to
experience 15 years ago.
Chemo brain. Chemotherapy can have cognitive effects
and decrease a womans ability to concentrate. It can affect
short-term memory, Tsai explains. This can limit a womans
ability to go back to work, or affect her relationships. Now an
acknowledged side effect, chemo brain is being studied in
the hopes that it doesnt have to debilitate.
Chemos risks. Chemo can open the door for other diseases.
There are higher rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
and obesity. A lot of patients end up with sarcopenia, where
they lose muscle mass and gain fat mass, says hematologist
and oncologist Anne Blaes. Methods to deal with this are being
developed, such as better tools to show cardiac imaging at the
same time as breast imaging so doctors can keep tabs on both.

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Survivor Support Success

patients to protect their fertility. Young
women with breast, ovarian, or cervical
cancer have a very high likelihood that
their cancer therapy will lead to infertility, says Tsai. We can look at ways to
harvest eggs and embryos, and hopefully
maintain their fertility.
But the biggest change that has happened since the mid-1990s, says Swigert,
is recognizing that treating cancer isnt
just about surgery and chemo. Its about
helping that patient live her lifehelping
her understand how important diet, rest,
exercise, support groups are. And its the
recognition that once cancer is cured,
our job [as doctors] isnt done. Medical
care teams now know that women need
support, not just for the physical effects
of treatment, but for the emotional
and well-earnedjourney forward as
a survivor.

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Support is now a part of many post-treatment plans. Theres

a comfort when patients are actively doing something for their
cancer. When treatment stops, its one of the most stressinducing times for a patient, says oncologist Kathryn Moore.
How can you support a cancer survivor you love, or yourself?

Know that life will not be the same as before and that
survivorship is an ongoing adjustment for everyone.
Expect changes in sexual health. A woman whos had a
mastectomy or gone through cervical cancer will not have the same
sex life, says hematologist and oncologist Anne Blaes. Support
groups, therapists, counselors, and past survivors can help facilitate
conversations about sexual health for a survivor and her partner.
Keep the evidence of survivorship. Many hospitals and clinics
have developed survivorship programs, says Moore. Patients
receive a treatment summary: specifics on what stage their cancer
was, what treatments they received, the names of the drugs they
received, and what the game plan is going forward. Its proof of
how far the personand health carehas come.

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Twin Cities women Susan Sheridan and Judy Smith

have been cancer-free for more than 15 years
each. And theyve participated in nearly every
Race for the Cure to celebrate it.

susan sheridan
Survivor for 15 Years

Race participant Susan Sheridan was an active mom living in

Rochester with two young kids when she was diagnosed with stage II
breast cancer at age 29. When I was diagnosed, they told me I wasnt
going to live more than five years, which meant my baby would just be getting on the bus for kindergarten. That was not enough time, Sheridan says.
My goal was to fight as hard as I could and do whatever I needed to do to
live longer than that.
She feels fortunate to have stayed home with her sons Phil and Nickwho
are now both in collegeas they grew up. I was always very active in their
lives because at one point I thought I wouldnt even get to be a part of their
lives, says Sheridan, who wasnt just their mom, but also their soccer coach,
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photos courtesy of judy smith and susan sheridan

Age Diagnosed: 29,

with stage II breast cancer,
in 1996

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field trip volunteer, and assistant at

school functions.
Before I was diagnosed, I didnt
have the Internet to look up my symptoms. I couldnt research my breast
cancer on WebMD. Those things
didnt exist back then, she says.
Now, you can go online and read
peoples blogs about their experience
[with cancer] and you can really relate
to those stories, and it helps.
After undergoing seemingly every
treatment available during her two
bouts with cancer (she had a recurrence in 1997), Sheridan completed
her last treatment in 2000 and has
been cancer-free ever since.
Today, Sheridan lives in Cottage
Grove with her husband, Phil,
and since 2008 has been an active
member of the Dragon Divas boat
team. The Divas, which consists
of paddlers whove overcome or
are battling cancer and is the only
group of its kind in the metro, is a
way for Sheridan to connect with
other survivors, stay active, and
have fun. The team competes in
races in Minnesota, and even went
to last years Dragon Boat Festival in
Sarasota, Florida, to compete with
other breast cancer survivor teams
from around the world.
Shes also attending this years
Race for the Cure walk with her family, a Mothers Day tradition theyve
continued since their first race 20
years ago. A.L.
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Judy Smith
Survivor for 33 Years
Age Diagnosed: 33,
with breast cancer, in 1981

In the 1980s, late-stage cancer

at age 33 was all but a death
sentence for Eden Prairie resident Judy Smith. Staging breast
cancer wasnt even a thing back
thenit was just considered
really bad news. My cancer was
rather large and it had spread,
so I wasnt given a lot of hope.
They gave me three months, she
recalls. I was operated on the
day before Thanksgiving, 1981,
and here I am 33 years later.
At the time of her diagnosis, Smith, a receptionist at
European Health Spa, and her
husband, Ed, a truck driver,
were newlyweds with hopes of
starting their own family. The
doctors told me I couldnt have
children because the pregnancy
hormone elevations would
make my cancer come back,
says Smith. So, we didnt have
children. I did exactly what the
doctors told me to doI didnt
eat chocolate for 20 years, and I
love chocolate!
A long-time participant
in Race for the Cure, Smith,
who spends her days with
her 5-pound black toy poodle
named Blackberry Brandy, says
the encouragement from other
survivors and their families and
seeing the same faces each year
have been her motivation to keep
fighting for herself and for others. My husband and I worked
with cancer patients for 26 years,
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helping them, talking to them,

holding their hands, crying with
them. He would work with the
husbands and I would work
with the wives, she says. Its
something that I pretty much
devoted my life to because
someone saved me. I survived
because of my chemo doctor and
my surgeon.
And she survived with humor.
I was bald for two and a half
yearsthey didnt think my
hair would ever come back. Its
white, but its back!
And she did it with strength.
I took everything they told me
to do to heart; I had a will to
live. I laughed a lot and I never
asked, Why me? Youll get
depressed but then you have
to kick yourself in the rear and
move it, she says. A.L.
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The Race for the Cure is back at

Southdale this year, where it all
began 23 years ago.

Weve got you covered with the

days lineup. But with a new
location comes other changes.
Make sure you plan ahead.

R 69:30 am: Race Day

Registration

Inside Southdale
Center, 1st level

R 710 am:

Health Expo

R 710 am:

Race Day
Refreshments

Southwest parking lot

(Sunday only)

R 7 am:

race WarmUp

R 7:25 am:

5K Womens &
Mens Wheelchair
Race 69th St. between

R 8:15 am:

5K Womens and
Mens Combined
Run 69th St. between

R 9:15 am:

1K Walk 69th St.

and France Ave.

R 9:15 am:

5K Walk 69th St.

and France Ave.

Outside in the Health

Expo area

Outside in the Health

Expo area

York and France Ave.

R 7:30 am:

Survivor
Celebration and
photo Outside in the

Health Expo area

York and France Ave.

With the return to Southdale comes other exciting changes.

R SHOP komen

R Involve the kids

R say cheese
8:15 am May 10

Check out Southdale

the week before Race
Day for the Race for the
Cure kiosk, which will
have novelties, jewelry,
and Race merchandise
available daily from
10 am to 9 pm Monday
through Saturday, and
11 am to 6 pm Sunday.
Proceeds are contributed
to Susan G. Komen
Minnesota.

Kids for the Cure Fun

Run is a race, organized
by age group up to age
12, with medals given
to those who cross the
finish line. The Fun Run
also includes games and
crafts. Registered kids
will receive a goodie
bag and T-shirt. Kids
who participate can
run in Sundays Race
for free.

This years Survivor

Celebration and Photo
is earlier than previous
years. Join more than
3,000 survivors for the
photo, which honors
survivors and those who
lost their battle, at the
Health Expo area. All
survivors are welcome
to participate. The
ceremony will again
feature Jearlyn Steele.

April 30 May 10

11

am May

R THINGS TO NOTE FOR RACE DAY

Pre-Race activities (like registration, packet pickup, and T-shirt distribution) will take place
inside Southdale at Center Court. Race Day activities will take place outside near the
corner of 69th Street and France Avenue. There are notable road closures on Sunday,
May 10, which may affect travel: France Avenue from 66th to 70th Street, 69th Street
west of York Avenue, and Valley View Road south of 66th Street.

For more information, visit komenminnesota.org or call 952-746-1760.

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Race for the Cure made its Twin

Cities debut at Southdale Center in
1993, when we were sporting mall hair
and drinking Orange Julius smoothies.
It jumped to Mall of America for 10
wonderful years, where it flourished
and thrived.
This year its back at Southdale and
the surrounding Edina community.
For those who began their Race
experiences thereoften in the midst
of their own cancer diagnosis or treatmentit will be a nostalgic event.
And Southdale is proud to offer it.
We are thrilled to once again partner
with Susan G. Komen on Race for the
Cure, says Sarah Dorrian, director of
marketing and business development at
Southdale Center. Allowing participants to return to the original gathering
place will bring them back to a familiar
and beautiful course around Lake
Cornelia in Edinaits going to be an
exciting homecoming for everyone.
And you can still get an Orange
Julius smoothie if you want, at the
Dairy Queen at the food pavilion on the
second floor. But that mall hairits
probably time to let that go.

Sarah Dorrian, director of

marketing and business
development at
Southdale Center