Author: Erin Steigleder, MSW - Director of Programs

When I travel the state to give presentations about breast health basics, I talk about all of the advancements we have made in the past 30 years in the treatment of breast cancer. About how we now have targeted therapies for some kinds of breast cancer that ideally reduce treatment toxicity and effect on healthy…
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If you are looking for where to go to get a mammogram, or for a breast surgeon or oncologist if you are experiencing an issue, it can be confusing to know where to start. One tried and true method of finding a provider is through your social circle. Talk to your friends who have had…
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At VBCF, we are big proponents of mammograms because they can help someone catch their breast cancer early. This can hopefully lead to less invasive and intense treatment and better outcomes.  However, in recent years there has been a back and forth in the research world as to whether more mammogram screenings actually save lives,…
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There are a lot of financial resources out there now that weren’t there before COVID-19. We’ve looked into a few of them to hopefully give you a better idea of the assistance these programs are offering and what these programs will cover (and what they won’t). The first few I have listed are specific to…
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There is A LOT of nutrition information for cancer floating around, and it’s hard to know what is real, research-based information and what…isn’t. Here’s a review of nutrition information for breast cancer, complete with sources. If you have any questions about the information included below or are thinking about making some dietary changes to reduce…
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You may have seen all of the recent headlines about the decrease in cancer mortality.((https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2020/cancer-facts-and-figures-2020.pdf)) The breast cancer death rate alone has decreased by 40% since 1989. One big thing we have learned now that fewer people are dying from their initial cancer is that we need to have a better understanding of the effects…
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UPDATE June 2022 brought us more information on the way that hair care products interact with breast cancer in Black women. According to this study, parabens (chemicals found in lots of personal care products) were found to have more of an influence on a breast cancer cell line more commonly found in Black women compared…
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Women who carry a genetic mutation are more likely to develop breast cancer, but 85% of breast cancer diagnoses are in women with no known family history. Being overweight increases the risk of breast cancer after menopause but could be a protective factor before menopause. Women who have children before the age of 30 have…
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Just when you thought you had a handle on the latest breast cancer screening guidelines, a new one is offered. But, there is a new twist to these guidelines of which we are big fans. The American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) recently released their take on breast cancer screenings, and the shining star is…
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