Warm weather is a great opportunity to get outside. Being in nature has a number of health benefits, including fighting depression and anxiety, reducing stress, improving mood, lowering blood pressure, and reducing cancer risk, but while you’re enjoying the outdoors, don’t forget to protect your skin from the sun’s damaging rays.
Last fall, Middlebury resident Paula Connolly attended a community education program at the Leever Cancer Center. The topic: the genetics of breast cancer. Some 3,000 miles away in Dublin, Ireland, Paula’s sister, Helen, was also engaged in a bit of genetic discovery. One of their cousins, Margaret (whose mom and sister died in their early forties), determined she would explore the possibility that faulty genes might be at the heart of the family’s common diagnosis; and she asked her Aunt Kathleen (who was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 76) if she would be willing to participate in genetic testing. Kathleen’s results revealed a BRCA 2 gene mutation.
Summer is on its way, which means more time spent outdoors. While getting fresh air and exercise is a great way to improve and maintain your health, there’s one thing about the summer sun that isn’t so positive: skin cancer.
Cancer of the skin is the most common of all cancers. Approximately 5.4 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are diagnosed each year, about 80% of which are basal-cell type. Melanomas account for about 1% of skin cancers, but they are by far the most dangerous, and the rate of melanomas has been rising for the last 30 years.
One in three women will develop cancer in her lifetime.
But there is hope. With many screening tools available to women of all ages and with greater awareness of our own bodies, prevention and early intervention are becoming increasingly possible.
Genetic counseling provides valuable insight into family cancer risks. It’s a fact: Ten percent of all cancers are hereditary.
One Woman’s Journey to Determine Hereditary Cancer Risks Reveals Volumes
Our PET/CT program is just one of the many tools Leever uses in our fight against cancer. We talked with HLRCC PET/CT Lead Tech Christina Kidulas for more information on how PET/CT scans work and what patients can expect.
Okay, men. Let’s be honest... when was the last time you had a physical exam? If it’s been too long to remember, then it’s time to schedule an appointment, urges Dr. Michael J. Flanagan of Urology Specialists PC in Middlebury.
As the body's largest and fastest-growing organ, skin has one important job: protection. The American Academy of Dermatology likens it to a coat: It helps us stay warm when it’s cold, helps cool us when it’s hot, protects our insides from the environment, and prevents the body from losing fluids. It’s a big job. And when you consider that the first line of defense—the skin’s top layer, or epidermis—is only about 1/100th of an inch thick, the skin’s work seems even more remarkable. But for all its strength, the skin is also highly susceptible: Skin cancer is, by far, the most common type of cancer.