A Hysterectomy--Power Morcellator --Concern

Here is some information that I received today that may be a concern for women who have had or might be planning to have a hysterectomy. This was news to me so I wanted to share this with Love in the Time of Cancer readers. Below is a note from Judy Cohen, Outreach Coordinator at The American Recall Center--which provides health and wellness info. Take a look, share this with your friends and talk to your healthcare team. Here is Judy's note:

"Diane, I want to share some information with you that all of our women friends need to know. I'm sure we all know someone who has had a hysterectomy. In recent months, a device commonly used in hysterectomies has come under scrutiny by the FDA. The device is called a 'Power Morcellator', it's used to cut tissue into small pieces to be removed from the body. As if the name didn't sound scary enough, power morcellators have been named responsible for spreading undetected cancer throughout the abdomen and pelvis of women. What's even scarier is that the average life span following accidental morcellation of a cancerous tumor is only 24-36 months. The FDA plans to meet July 10th & 11th to discuss the dangers and future of morcellation procedures. Any type of awareness we can raise about this dangerous device will help put an end to the spread of deadly cancer!

Thanks Diane! I appreciate you helping us spread the word about the dangers of power morcellators.  Judy Cohen."

This is clearly something to pay attention to and to learn more about. 

Why Black Women Die of Cancer

I'm sharing an important article that was in the New York Times yesterday written by Harold Freeman, past president of the American Cancer Society.

He details the history and efforts around improving diagnosis, screening and treatment for black women. His focus here is on breast cancer but the concepts extend to other cancers as well. He details how efforts to get mammography rates to match the white community did improve but survival rates did not, and he shows how the most important access is to compliance with treatment after diagnosis and the particular effectiveness of healthcare--especially cancer care--navigators.

Please take  a look at this article and share it with people you know who work in healthcare but especially with those who are working with people living in poverty. Often it is day care, work leave and transportation that are the hidden impediments to full access to healthcare and treatment.

Here's the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/14/opinion/why-black-women-die-of-cancer.html?_r=0