Breast Cancer News Archives

The chemotherapy drug paclitaxel increases the risk of chronic neuropathic pain in breast cancer survivors, a new study shows.

Main Category: Breast Cancer Also Included In: Lung Cancer ; Colorectal Cancer ; Genetics Article Date: 26 Nov 2009 - 0:00 PST Researchers at the University of Granada have found a suicide gene, called 'gene E', which leads to the death of tumour cells derived from breast, lung and colon cancer , and prevents their growth.

John Marshall , director of the Otto J. Ruesch Center at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University was online Monday, Nov.

Many Ontarians know the personal health care stories of Shona Holmes, Lindsay McCreith and Belinda Stronach, the former federal cabinet minister and Magna International auto heiress.

Elastography is an effective, convenient technique that, when added to breast ultrasound, helps distinguish cancerous breast lesions from benign results, according to an ongoing study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America .

Mammography screening is one of the major health care advances of the past 40 years.

Pfizer Inc. has been hit with more than $100 million in two punitive-damage awards - one decided and the other unsealed yesterday - from Philadelphia juries.

Friday, 27 November 2009, 11:20 am Article: Citizen News Service Endoscopic breast surgery - a new hope for cancer patients Exclusive CNS interview with Internationally acclaimed expert Dr Eisuke Fukuma Dr Eisuke Fukuma, Director of Breast Cancer, Kameda Medical Centre at Chiba, Japan, has done pioneering work in the field of endoscopic breast ...

By Charlotte Wareing A mum who is battling inoperable cancer is set to marry the love of her life a ' more than 20 years after she first met him.

The new mammogram screening recommendations were a wake-up call for anyone concerned about breast cancer.

DEAR CAROLYN: A month ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Beyond the obvious fears, I was afraid my new boyfriend's feelings for me would change, what with the impact of chemo and then surgery.

Don't mess with the breast. That's the clear message that has emerged from the uproar over a medical panel's recommendation last week that American women don't need as many mammograms as they're getting.

Monday, 23 November 2009, 1:31 pm Press Release: New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation Breast Cancer Research Boosted by $250,000 Research projects from some of New Zealand's best clinicians and researchers have been boosted by substantial grants from The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

Researchers have found evidence of a statistically significant survival benefit from adjuvant tamoxifen among patients whose estrogen receptor -positive tumors had high levels of phosphorylation of ER-alpha; at serine-118 , according to a brief communication published online November 25 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

It was a simple message for women between 40 and 49 years old - keep getting annual mammograms.

All you women, stop worrying. Actually, you're fearmongering, and you all know how your beloved president doesn't like fearmongers.

Controversy continues over the mammography guidelines released Monday by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

Charlotte nurse Susan Gawlik was 35 when she got her first mammogram two months ago.

Carly Fiorina launched her U.S. Senate campaign this month in a Garden Grove, Calif.

Last week, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force published new guidelines that recommended against routine mammography screening for women in their 40s and less-frequent screening for older women at average risk of developing breast cancer.

Scientists are closer to discovering why some people respond to breast cancer radiotherapy better than others, according to Breast Cancer Campaign.

One week ago, a government task force released a report saying women in their 40s should forgo screening mammograms, waiting until age 50.

FEARS that the breast cancer unit will be moved from Dorset County Hospital have sparked protest plans.

Mercy Womena s Center and Breast MRI of Oklahoma announced Nov. 24 its selection as a beta test site for Edge breast magnetic resonance imaging, a proposed upgrade for existing Rodeo breast-dedicated MRI.

Insomnia and sleep disorders affect more than three-quarters of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, a rate nearly three times higher than that of the general population, a new study finds.

Main Category: Breast Cancer Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology Article Date: 26 Nov 2009 - 2:00 PST The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing to examine the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force's recently revised breast cancer screening guidelines , including the recommendation that women begin ...

A backlash of mistrust By Ellen Goodman BOSTON - Is there such a thing as communications malpractice? If so, we might consider the case of Women vs.

The recent medical recommendations from a federal panel regarding mammograms is probably being taken too seriously by some, not seriously enough by others, and probably just about right by those who see it as an extension of the anxieties generated by current health care reform debate.

The emotional debate over a federal panel's proposal to end routine mammograms for women in their 40s has reignited controversy over a contentious healthcare reform issue: comparative effectiveness research.

Nancy Brinker, founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, said today that a recent federal task force recommendation that most women should cut back on annual mammograms sends the wrong signals, and that opponents are "justifiably outraged." "We've urged people to get screened," she said.

Two Pfizer Inc. units' hormone- replacement therapy drugs caused an Illinois woman's breast cancer, making them liable for at least $6.3 million in damages, a Philadelphia jury ruled today.

Researchers have found that hormones produced during pregnancy induce a protein that directly inhibits the growth of breast cancer.

Three-quarters of US women disagree with a high-level panel's recommendations to raise the age of breast cancer screening and even more plan to ignore the guidelines, a poll showed Tuesday.

Rene Syler, author and former anchor of the CBS Early Show, underwent a double mastectomy in 2007.

The fallout from last week's controversial recommendation that women delay the start of routine mammogram testing for breast cancer continues, with a former head of the U.S. National Institutes of Health advising women to ignore the guidelines.

WASHINGTON -- The uproar over the on-again, off-again guidelines on when women should have mammograms is proof of the blindingly obvious: Health care reform that actually controls costs -- rather than just pretending to do so -- would be virtually impossible to achieve.

A vast majority of American women plan to ignore controversial new recommendations about mammograms, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows.

Q: Which screenings are recommended? A. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends mammograms for women 50 to 74 every other year.

Three quarters of cancer patients and survivors treated with chemotherapy suffer insomnia or sleep disorders that often become chronic conditions, hindering patients' ability to fully recover, according to scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

In this edition of 22News inFocus, 22News Reporter Jaclyn Cashman will discuss the controversy surrounding a government task force recommendation that women begin breast cancer screenings 10 years later than previously recommeded, at age 50.22News inFocus takes on every angle of this story -- including if women still have the right to a mammogram ...

A jury in Philadelphia has ordered Wyeth Pharmaceuticals to pay a woman $75 million in punitive damages after finding a link between her breast cancer and a hormone-replacement drug.

The uproar over new breast cancer screening guidelines in the United States underscores the delicate balance scientists and health policy experts face in trying to convince a wary American public that less healthcare, in some cases, may be good for them.

I am a wife, a mother of two awesome kids, a daughter, a sister, and a nurse. I am also a survivor.

Stock photo: Nurse assisting patient undergoing mammogram. A government advisory panel announces it does not recommend routine mammograms for women under age 50.

The debate on how to select patients who will respond best to costly drug treatments for aggressive breast cancer now favors fluorescence in situ hybridization to measure the HER-2 receptor found in human breast tumors, according to a leading pathologist presenting at the Association for Molecular Pathology annual meeting.

On Monday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force took a step backward in the fight against breast cancer.

Lawmakers broke along party lines on a new aspect of the health care debate Sunday as a former National Institutes of Health chief urged women to ignore guidelines that delay the start of breast cancer screenings.

The former director of the National Institutes of Health is advising women to ignore new guidelines that delay the start of routine mammogram testing for breast cancer.

Singer Carrie Underwood arrives at the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year ceremony in Hollywood, Calif.

Franke Majewski's mother, Teresa, lost her fight with cancer when Franke was a teenager.

Short-term follow-up is a reasonable alternative to invasive biopsy of palpable breast lesions with benign imaging features, particularly in younger women with probable fibroadenoma , according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology .

Christi Rich, a ten-year breast cancer survivor, says she's not in favor of new breast cancer screening guidelines that may not have allowed her cancer to be caught early.

By Brian Bethel Scripps Howard News Service While health care pundits debate over when women should have mammograms, 2,000 men diagnosed with breast cancer this year are in the shadows.

WAUSAU -- A group of local doctors say they'll still recommend mammograms and self-exams for their patients, despite new guidelines released this week by a government task force.

An independent task force this week issued new guidelines curtailing breast cancer screening, putting the panel at odds with other experts and the American Cancer Society's longstanding position.

For the second time in a week, medical experts are revising the advice given women on cancer screenings.

Dear Carolyn: A month ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Beyond the obvious fears, I was afraid my new boyfriend's feelings for me would change, what with chemo and then surgery.

A federal panel is recommending a radical change to mammogram guidelines, citing evidence that the potential harm outweighs the benefits.

NEWARK -- When Newark residents Tammy Hone and her mother, Carol Wages found out Stefanie Spielman had died, they couldn't help but get emotional.

BREAST EXAM ADVOCATE: Olivia Newton-John has slammed controversial new breast cancer guidelines in the US.

Published: Friday, November 20, 2009 at 12:01 a.m. Last Modified: Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 7:56 p.m. WASHINGTON Most women in their 20s can have a Pap smear every two years instead of annually, say new guidelines that conclude that's enough to catch slow-growing cervical cancer.

Just as fly paper captures insects, an innovative new device with nano-sized features developed by researchers at UCLA is able to grab cancer cells in the blood that have broken off from a tumor.

Abnormal mammogram: understanding false-positives An abnormal mammogram result can be scary, but in many cases it's a false alarm.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is now saying women in their 40s don't need to get routine mammograms for early detection of breast cancer if they're not at risk.

Nov 18 - New breast cancer screening guidelines in the U.S. suggest women under 50 years should not have routine mammograms.

For a woman, getting a mammogram can be stressful and now new guidelines issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are making the checkup an even harder appointment to schedule.

We asked your opinion on the new *** cancer screening guidelines. I heard your story and am absolutely disgusted.

Doctors are in uproar over a recommendation to raise the age of breast cancer screening, saying that more women will die from the disease, which claims 40,000 lives each year.

A federal advisory board's recommendation that women in their 40s should avoid routine mammograms is not government policy and has caused "a great deal of confusion," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday.

Lying in bed one night in 2007, Peter Criss felt something strange: a small lump on his left breast.

For millions of women, everything they've been told about breast cancer screening has been changed with just one government task force.

It is a core tenet of the push to improve American medical care and control its cost: Experts should study the effectiveness of treatments and procedures to determine which work best.

Get past the jargon and know the facts about your diagnosis. I'm a woman whose life was saved by a mammogram.

In this Nov. 13, 2009 photo, Leonor Ortiz Childers, 46, plays with her children, 3-year-old twins Miranda and Javier, right, and 18-month-old twins Julian and Ava, left, in Durham, N.C. Leonor developed heart failure suddenly when she had to be treated for breast cancer while pregnant with her second set of twins.

A government panel says most women under 50 no longer need to be screened for breast cancer.

"My initial diagnosis was in 2006 and then again in 2008." Two-time breast cancer survivor Valerie Gardner wants the best treatment available.

For the first time since 2002, the government is releasing new guidelines for breast cancer screening, creating controversy among doctors.

The value of breast exams by doctors is unknown. And breast self-exams are of no value.

Sweeping new U.S. breast cancer guidelines released on Monday recommend against routine mammograms for women in their 40s, and suggest women 50 to 74 only get a mammogram every other year.

In a new survey, almost half of women who had breast cancer surgery reported long-term pain afterward.

Healthcare overhaul bills working their way through Congress could jeopardize laws in California and other states that require insurers to pay for treatments such as AIDS testing, second surgical opinions and reconstructive surgery for breast cancer patients.

Australian News.Net Monday 16th November, 2009 Melbourne, Nov 16 : A woman from Texas lied about having breast cancer and then used the 10,000 dollars raised at a benefit to get breast implants, according to U.S. authorities.

A seat belt is designed to save a life, but that very item alerted one man to a medical condition that would ultimately take his.

The over-activity of a gene known to boost a woman's risk for breast cancer may have a good side, making arteries healthier, a new study suggests.

South East Asia News.Net Friday 13th November, 2009 Overdiagnosis of invasive breast cancer could be as high as 42 percent, says a new study.

Almost 50 percent of women with breast cancer reported pain two to three years after treatment, researchers in Denmark said.

Nearly 50 percent of women surveyed indicate they experience pain symptoms 2 to 3 years after breast cancer treatment, with women who were younger or who received supplemental radiation therapy more likely to have pain, according to a study in the November 11 issue of JAMA.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, behind lung cancer, and it is the most common cancer among women.

Medications frequently given to cancer patients to reduce their risk of anemia are associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, according to new research led by Dawn Hershman, M.D, M.S., co-director of the breast cancer program at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at NewYork-Presbyterian ...

By Gene Emery Boston - Slowly building strength with upper-body weight-lifting can relieve some of the arm and hand swelling that occurs in breast cancer survivors who have had lymph nodes under their arms removed, United States researchers said on Wednesday.

Declining use of hormone replacement therapy may be driving down rates of a condition called "atypical ductal hyperplasia," a known risk factor for breast cancer, new research suggests.

In the waiting room, the patient's family members circled a Blackberry. About every 15 minutes, Dr.

The first Many Faces of Breast Cancer event in Atlanta, a national program educating and celebrating breast cancer survivors, will be hosted by AstraZeneca in partnership with the Sisters by Choice and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Greater Atlanta Affiliate.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fl, speaks at a luncheon sponsored by the Southwest Florida affiliate of the Susan G Komen Foundation of Southwest Florida and the Collier County Chapter of Hadassah on Friday at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point.

Chemotherapy patients sometimes experience what they call a "brain fog," which includes forgetfulness and sluggish thinking, as if the brain is wrapped in cotton.

An experimental drug reduced the spread of breast cancer into bone in mice, researchers say.

Authorities say a Texas woman lied about having breast cancer and spent $10,000 raised at a benefit to have her breasts enlarged.McLennan County sheriff's investigator James Pack says in court records that 24-year-old Trista Joy Lathern shaved her head to look like a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy.Pack says Lathern wanted breast implants to ...

A new study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons shows that breast cancer patients under 40 years old who undergo fertility preservation do not face a significant delay in the treatment of their disease when their care is coordinated in a timely fashion.

Clean Air Cab, Arizona's first completely carbon neutral taxicab service, has released their first pink Komen for the Cure cab on the streets of Metropolitan Phoenix today.

" A compound in coffee has been found to be estrogenic in studies by Texas AgriLife Research scientists.

Many breast cancer survivors experience ongoing pain as long as two- to three years after surgery.

Share + Comments Nov 11, 2009 11:55 pm US/Eastern Reporting Dr. Holly Phillips NEW YORK After 10 years of being touted as "the" superfood, soy-based products are all over the supermarket.

Pat Miller, left, Liz Seculoff, Gayle Bloom, Sue Miller and Catherine Hill announced Wednesday the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer's $10 million research pledge.

An analysis conducted by the Finnish Breast Cancer Group and published in The Lancet Oncology shows women at intermediate to high-risk of early breast cancer recurrence who received capecitabine as part of their chemotherapy regimen had a 34% reduction in the risk of the disease returning or death, compared with those taking the chemotherapy ...

The experimental stem cell breast-growing technique - called Neopec - could replace breast reconstructions and implants within years / File Surgery could help cancer victims regrow breasts Hope for 5000 women who lose breasts every year Three-year trial beginning in Melbourne SCIENTISTS are poised to begin revolutionary surgery to help cancer ...

Even three years after finishing treatment for breast cancer, almost 50 percent of women report long-term pain, a new Danish study finds.

Melbourne, Nov 11 : A new Australian study has suggested that almost one in four invasive breast cancers in women of ages between 50 to 69 years is not fatal.

Two FDA-approved drugs, one used to treat breast cancer and the other to treat osteoporosis, may eventually be used to stop cervical cancer in its tracks.

Cervical cancer could be wiped out by "pioneering use of 'amazing' osteoporosis drugs", the Daily Mail has declared.

Previous studies have shown that younger breast cancer patients consistently have poorer outcomes than patients who develop the disease later in life, which can translate into lower rates of overall survival.

In a study of Danish women who had surgery for breast cancer, nearly half still reported pain 2 to 3 years later, according to a report in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association.

The drug Sprycel, approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, significantly inhibited the growth and invasiveness of ovarian cancer cells and also promoted their death, a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found.

Abraxis Health, a fully-integrated personalized healthcare division of Abraxis BioScience, Inc.

Two drugs used to treat breast cancer and osteoporosis eliminated cervical cancer in mice, according to a new study.

While the pink items in stores may have been moved to the sale shelves, those who focus on breast cancer year-round are continuing their work to educate women about the risks of breast cancer and how best to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease.

About 20 breast cancer survivors were models in a fashion show Saturday night to raise money for Beyond Boobs!, a nonprofit in Virginia that promotes breast health education.

The use of postmenopausal hormone therapy has decreased over time in the United States, which researchers suggest may play a key role in the declining rate of atypical ductal hyperplasia, a known risk factor for breast cancer.

Uzbekistan News.Net Monday 9th November, 2009 Women with heavier busts who have been treated for breast cancer are at higher risk of its recurrence, says a new study.

Although pregnancy may contribute to a delay in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, pregnant women with breast cancer do not appear to have worse outcomes than their non-pregnant counterparts.

As we near the end of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, once again our country has been awash from shore to shore in a sea of pink - from pink ribbons and donation boxes to pink products, charity promotions, celebrities by the score and even pink cleats on NFL players.

New Delhi, Nov 7 : About a decade back, the age group of women most vulnerable to breast cancer was 50 and above.

Breast cancer cells that spread to the lymph nodes change form, a discovery that surprised Breakthrough Breast Cancer researchers in Great Britain.

Anecdotal evidence suggests breast cancer is on the rise in Pakistan but budgetary constraints, bogus healers and a lack of awareness is hampering early diagnosis, according to healthcare professionals.

Shortly after Elizabeth Edwards revealed in 2007 that her breast cancer had metastasized, she delivered a speech in Cleveland then sat down at a table to autograph books.

At the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Breast Cancer Symposium held in San Francisco recently, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center made an announcement that at first glance may seem startling -- at least it may startle people who are unaware of the preventive and healing power of nutrients.

Oncology treatments Doctors start to include vitamin D in fight against cancer With new studies showing the sun vitamin may slow come cancers, some physicians are eager to add it to treatment programs Martin Mittelstaedt Environment Reporter From Friday's Globe and Mail Published on Thursday, Nov.

Merck KGaA of Germany is gambling an unproven therapy that spurs the immune system to attack cancer cells will increase its share of a $48 billion oncology market.

Since her teens, Jennifer Jablon had watched family members deal with breast cancer during their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

2. Is breast cancer the most common cancer among women? Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed non-skin cancer among women.

Animal research is necessary for scientific advancement. Unfortunately, the public fails to realize how much care goes into ensuring read more animal welfare in research labs.

Research has found that "nearly 40% of breast cancer tumours change form when they spread," BBC News reported.

Most biopsies following mammograms reveal benign abnormalities, not cancer. But women may not have to endure the medical costs, stress and potential complications that accompany such invasive biopsies forever.

According to a study presented November 4, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology , a shortened, more intensive course of radiation given to the whole breast, along with an extra dose of radiation given to the surgical bed of the tumor , has been shown to result in excellent local control at a median follow ...

Nov. 5, 2009 - Since her teens, Jennifer Jablon had watched family members deal with breast cancer during their 40s, 50s, and 60s.

The ultimate goal in cancer research, a treatment that kills cancer cells whilst leaving healthy cells untouched, is brought nearer by the success of a new therapeutic approach.

Early-stage breast cancer patients with HER2 positive tumors one centimeter or smaller are at significant risk of recurrence of their disease, compared to those with early-stage disease who do not express the aggressive protein, according to a study led by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

What: Now in its 32nd year, the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium remains the top venue for research and discovery in breast cancer.

Women with a relatively uncommon type of breast cancer are significantly more likely to face its recurrence and spread, but researchers now say these women may benefit from treatment with the breast cancer drug Herceptin.

A shorter, more intense course of whole-breast radiation works as well as the traditional six-week course, at least for some early-stage breast cancers, a new study shows.

Worried about what to do with fat you've had liposuctioned from pudgy areas? Researchers have turned it into stem cells in the lab, but here's a more immediate use: Fat liposuctioned from other parts of the body can safely be used to increase a woman's breast size, according to study findings presented this week at the Plastic Surgery 2009 meeting ...

Researchers have reduced breast cancer metastasis to bone using an experimental agent to inhibit ROCK, a protein that was found to be over-expressed in metastatic breast cancer.

Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard who became a campaign adviser to Senator John McCain's presidential bid, is formally announcing on Wednesday that she plans to run for the United States Senate.

The value of lifting weights extends beyond increasing muscle mass for breast cancer survivors: New research discovers the activity provides a boost to self-esteem . University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers discovered survivors who lift weights regularly feel better about their bodies and their appearance and are more satisfied ...

Breast cancer is becoming an increasingly global epidemic, plaguing more people in developing countries where mortality rates are higher and many lack access to care, US researchers warned.

One in three breast cancers that spreads also changes form, according to new research that may explain why some women do not respond to treatment.

U.S. scientists say they're trying to determine if a NASA imaging technique can predict radiation therapy tissue damage experienced by breast cancer patients.

One of the scariest things a woman can hear is that her mammogram shows a suspicious mass in her breast.

Standard adjuvant treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer patients, following primary surgery for their cancer, is Trastuzumab --typically used in combination with chemotherapy.

Should you grow your own specialized mushrooms if you can't find commercial extracts that contain the ingredients you want? Or are mushroom extracts different from eating whole cooked mushrooms because the extracts use many more mushrooms that eating a few? What safety precautions do you need to take with mushrooms that should be cooked? According ...

Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that uses the immune system to fight cancer.

An intravenous tubing during a chemotherapy treatment. Doctors will diagnose 1.35 million new cases of breast cancer this year across the globe, which will account for 10.5 per cent of all new cancer cases, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals will get a new trial to determine if the drugmaker should pay punitive damages to a woman who got breast cancer after taking hormone replacement therapy, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

After mastectomy, breast cancer patients who receive radiation treatment to the lymph nodes located behind the breast bone do not live longer than those who do not receive radiation to this hard-to-treat area, according to a randomized 10-year study presented at the plenary session, November 2, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American ...

The first trial visit by the Breast Cancer Screening Team from Clinica Alamada will be taking place around March 2010.

Main Category: Breast Cancer Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials ; Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry Article Date: 31 Oct 2009 - 1:00 PDT Eisai Inc.

Caption: Suzanne Somers The 2009 Toronto International Film Festival Pre Gala Cocktail Party for Precious hosted by Lionsgate and Blackberry held at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, Canada .... SUZANNE SOMERS feared she had just days to live after doctors wrongly diagnosed with her full-body cancer last year .

Concord, NH Company C will make a donation of more than $35,000 to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure .

A giant pink ribbon is hanging from the North Portico of the White House for the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

One simple test could end up saving thousands of women's lives. Yet, for those without health insurance, the test comes too late.

"I encourage you all to nag the ones you love to go and have the test... along with the Pap smear," Ms Rein said at the National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre's Pink Ribbon Breakfast in Sydney on Monday.

Suzanne Somer's experience with cancer inspired her to write her latest book that promotes treatments that avoid chemotherapy.