Category: education

VIDEO: Oral Health & Breast Cancer

VBCF’s Education Manager, Erin Steigleder, chats with two oral health professionals about the importance of looking after your oral health before, during, and after breast cancer treatment. Dr. Sarah Glass is an oral and maxillofacial pathologist and an assistant professor at the VCU School of Dentistry. Dr. Nazy Zahedi is a hospital dentist with VCU.

Read This, Not That: Response to a Recent Article

Last week, the website “Eat This, Not That” shared an article on breast cancer that VBCF finds misleading and, frankly, insulting to women. Their article “8 Bad Habits Leading to Breast Cancer” sets a disappointing tone from the beginning. This title suggests that women are to blame for their breast cancer diagnosis, that their illness is their fault, and that their fate could have been avoided if they had “followed the rules.”

Scrabble tiles spelling Mental Health Matters

Breast Cancer and Mental Health

May is Mental Health Month and National Cancer Research Month. Recently, the two have coincided as researchers continue to learn more about the mental health of those dealing with breast cancer, not just cancer’s effect on physical health.

False Positives and Overdiagnoses

When you read about “false positive” rates in mammograms, what comes to mind? Or about breast cancer “overdiagnoses”? There have been a few articles on those topics lately, so below is a brief explanation of what false positives and overdiagnoses are and what the latest findings mean to mammography screening.  In “research speak,” a false…
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Obesity, the BMI, and Breast Cancer

BMI is being used as an “easy” but murky indicator of health and how the relationship between overweight, obesity, and breast cancer is not as clear-cut as it is often made out to be. 

A Quick Guide for Busy Caregivers

When caring for someone with breast cancer, “busy” can be an understatement. Each caregiver’s situation is unique to them, but it’s more common than not to feel stressed, scared, and generally overwhelmed with balancing the unique challenges of it all. Know that you are not alone in this!  We’ve put together a guide for our top four most requested resources from caregivers throughout Virginia.

We’ve Come a Long Way, Baby? Alcohol Trends and Women’s Health in the US

Women and alcohol have a complicated relationship, so we’re going to take some time to try and review that relationship in the U.S. for Dry January.

How Patient Navigators Can Help You on Your Journey

For patients and loved ones dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis, it can suddenly feel like your world has been turned upside down. We know that cancer doesn’t just affect the patient, but their whole community. From choosing a treatment plan to the everyday struggles of recovery, it’s common to feel scared, overwhelmed, or alone – no matter what your support system looks like. Sometimes we all need a little extra help as we navigate the difficulties in life – that is where Patient Navigators come in. We recently reached out to Navigators across the state for some great expert advice.

Metastatic Breast Cancer: Signs, Symptoms, and Hope

Recurrent metastatic breast cancer doesn’t get a lot of attention, either in the press or in research. We talk about the importance of early detection, but is that enough when it comes to increasing survival rates? The short answer is no. 

What You Need to Know: Alcohol and Breast Cancer Risk

From the temperance movement that led to Prohibition to “Mommy Wine Culture,” women and alcohol have a complicated relationship, and now with the increasing availability of evidence connecting alcohol consumption and breast cancer, it’s becoming more complex. Here’s a breakdown of some of the latest research on how alcohol can increase the risk of breast cancer so you can make the best decision for yourself and how you want to live your life.