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TREATMENT THURSDAY Treatment for vulval cancer depends on factors such as how far the cancer has spread, your general health, and personal wishes. The main options are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Many women with vulval cancer have a combination of these treatments. If your cancer is at an early stage, it's often possible to get rid of it completely. However, this may not be possible if the cancer has spread. Even after successful treatment, there is a chance the cancer will return at some point later on, so you'll need regular follow-up appointments to check for this. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 Most hospitals use multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to treat vulval cancer. MDTs are teams of specialists that work together to make decisions about the best way to proceed with your treatment. Members of your MDT will probably include a specialist surgeon, a specialist in the non-surgical treatment of cancer (clinical oncologist) and a specialist cancer nurse. Deciding which treatment is best for you can often be confusing. Your cancer team will recommend what they think is the best treatment option, but the final decision will be yours. Before visiting hospital to discuss your treatment options, you may find it useful to write a list of questions you would like to ask the specialist. For example, you may want to find out the advantages and disadvantages of particular treatments. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 The emotional impact of living with vulval cancer can be significant. Many people report experiencing a kind of rollercoaster effect. You may feel down at receiving a diagnosis, feel up when the cancer has been removed from your body, and then feel down again as you try to come to terms with the after-effects of surgery. You may also find it useful to contact one of the main cancer charities, such as: 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 – the helpline is available on 0808 808 00 00, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗨𝗞 – a cancer nurse helpline is available on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. #treatmentthursday #education #medicalconditions

Did you know that we are seeing a 45% increase in cases of breast cancer for women in their 20s over the past 35 years 😯 A new Ottawa-based study published in the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal has found that rates of breast cancer in women as young as their 20s have been increasing. A group of cancer experts say Canadian national screening guidelines are a decade out of date, which is leading to people getting diagnosed later, when they are more difficult to treat. While some provinces have expanded screening eligibility to younger women, many doctors still might not send their patients for the test because the national guidelines recommend against it previously. Check out this article by CBC that highlights this issue in detail. #CancerRisk #PreventativeScreening

TREATMENT THURSDAY Treatment for vulval cancer depends on factors such as how far the cancer has spread, your general health, and personal wishes. The main options are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Many women with vulval cancer have a combination of these treatments. If your cancer is at an early stage, it's often possible to get rid of it completely. However, this may not be possible if the cancer has spread. Even after successful treatment, there is a chance the cancer will return at some point later on, so you'll need regular follow-up appointments to check for this. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 Most hospitals use multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to treat vulval cancer. MDTs are teams of specialists that work together to make decisions about the best way to proceed with your treatment. Members of your MDT will probably include a specialist surgeon, a specialist in the non-surgical treatment of cancer (clinical oncologist) and a specialist cancer nurse. Deciding which treatment is best for you can often be confusing. Your cancer team will recommend what they think is the best treatment option, but the final decision will be yours. Before visiting hospital to discuss your treatment options, you may find it useful to write a list of questions you would like to ask the specialist. For example, you may want to find out the advantages and disadvantages of particular treatments. 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 The emotional impact of living with vulval cancer can be significant. Many people report experiencing a kind of rollercoaster effect. You may feel down at receiving a diagnosis, feel up when the cancer has been removed from your body, and then feel down again as you try to come to terms with the after-effects of surgery. You may also find it useful to contact one of the main cancer charities, such as: 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 – the helpline is available on 0808 808 00 00, Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗨𝗞 – a cancer nurse helpline is available on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. #treatmentthursday #education #medicalconditions

As we enter day 6 of the #EWAC2024, which is dedicated to cancer patients and survivors, I would like to underpin lip and oral cavity #cancersurvivors. Although lip and oral cancer is not among the top 5 cancers in Europe in terms of incidence and prevalence, its treatment is, very likely, one of those with a more devastating impact on patients' overall quality of life, regardless of whether patients undergo surgery, chemo or radiotherapy or any combination of these three. According to GLOBOCAN most recent figures, its incidence in Europe alone is like to increase 16,1% until 2045 and mortality is likely to increase 19.2% (https://xmrrwallet.com/cmx.plnkd.in/d7jVaG-R). This is why we at INTERCEPTOR are so committed to its early prevention and diagnosis, by targeting oral potentially malignants disorders: #OpmdSpotItStopIt. Moreover, I would like to highlight the work of The Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) in setting and securing "bone fide" #sciencebased guidelines and best practices aiming to improves #cancerpatients #qualityoflife, thanks to the work of those involved in its several study groups (I myself am a member since 2013 and I've involved in the Study Groups of #palliativecare, #mucositis and #oralcare). Last but not least, a word of recognition to the amazing work done by cancer patients advocacy groups and organisations such as Cancer Patients Europe - CPE or by the Association of European Cancer Leagues. I have no words to express my appreciation for the amazing work made in Europe by people like Antonella Cardone and Rui Medeiros and their teams. It's the patient that needs to stand in the centre of what we do. Not the disease.

It’s the second most common cancer in Canada. In women, it’s the most common. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, according to Government of Canada. Traditionally, most of us might associate breast cancer as an older person’s disease. With 83 per cent of cases occurring in women aged 50-plus, provinces across Canada focus on screening women between the ages of 40 and 74. In Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, screening begins at age 40. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the screening age was dropped from 50 years old to 40 recently. However, according to a 2024 study led by the head of breast imaging at The Ottawa Hospital and professor in the department of radiology at the University of Ottawa, Dr. Jean Seely, published in the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal, more and more younger women (20s and 30s) are being diagnosed with breast cancer too.

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As if my head wasn’t spinning enough from the terms I did understand, the language surrounding cancer was entirely unfamiliar to me. In my state of shock, it was difficult to absorb it all. The frightening news of “you have cancer” is overwhelming on its own, and the terminology only adds to the confusion. Some people, like me, want to know every detail—all the terms, all the meanings, everything. Others might prefer not to delve into the details. I say, it’s all okay. #DoItYourWay #MaureenSpeaks #OvarianCancer #Cancer #Survivor For those interested, here is a small sample of words and their definitions that I now know because of my cancer diagnosis: Debulking: Even autocorrect thinks this word should be something else (debunking, lol). Debulking refers to the type of surgery performed to remove ovarian cancer. In an attempt to remove as much cancerous tissue as possible, they may take out ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, cervix, appendix, and omentum. Which leads me to the next new word. Omentum: Did you mean momentum? No, autocorrect, I did not. According to cancer.gov, the omentum is “a fold of the peritoneum (the thin tissue that lines the abdomen) that surrounds the stomach and other organs in the abdomen.” I no longer have this, and I blame my hearty midsection on its removal. High grade: I call this one undesirable. Unlike in academia, in the world of cancer, low grade is preferable. High grade (which was used to describe the cancer in my body) is the highest grade given—3. High grade cancer cells are very atypical and aggressive or fast-growing, making these cancers more likely to spread. Clear cell: This is a subtype of a subtype of ovarian cancer. Who knew? Not me. Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most common type of ovarian cancer. Clear cell ovarian cancer is a rare subtype of EOC. In the U.S., only 6% of diagnosed EOC cases are clear cell. Never one to go with the crowd, I have to say it's not a surprise that the cancer diagnosis given to me was the very rare clear cell. NED: This is a good word! NED stands for No Evidence of Disease. It’s similar to cancer-free, but the difference is—at least in my humble understanding—that NED recognizes there is still a chance of recurrence.

Breast cancer screening can be life-saving, and early detection is key. Providers in Utah, as highlighted by The Salt Lake Tribune, are working to improve access to #mammograms, ensuring more women receive timely care. At CureMetrix, our #AI solutions assist radiologists in detecting breast cancer earlier. Our cmAngio product also identifies breast arterial calcifications, providing enhanced care with a 2-for-1 mammogram. Remember, getting regular mammograms is vital for early detection. #BreastCancerAwareness #EarlyDetection #WomensHealth #AskforAngio #BreastCancerAwareness #EarlyDetection #WomensHealth

"The Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network can be leveraged to develop better ways to detect, diagnose and treat people with rare cancer, while educating health-care providers and researchers to better identify potential patients," says Sarah Hunt, a member of the Network's Patient Working Group. Learn more about Sarah's story ⬇️

✨ Breast Cancer Awareness Beyond October ✨ I’ll never forget a conversation I had back in 2020-2021 as a final-year Radiation Therapist during my clinical rotations. One day, I was educating a breast cancer patient before her radiation therapy session, and after I finished, I asked if she had any questions. Her response has stayed with me ever since: "I don’t have any questions, but I wish breast cancer awareness wasn’t only active in October. I first noticed a lump in January. It was painless, so I convinced myself it wasn’t urgent. The months passed, and the lump grew. I tried other remedies, hoping it would go away. But it wasn’t until October, when I saw an awareness video, that I felt the push to get my breast checked. Although I was able to get a mastectomy and begin treatment with curative intent, I can’t shake the feeling that if I’d known more sooner, I might have detected it earlier and kept more of my breast." Her words capture something crucial: having a dedicated month for breast cancer awareness is incredibly valuable, but true awareness should go beyond October. Breast cancer remains one of the most common cancers and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide. By spreading awareness throughout the year, we can help more people recognize symptoms sooner, seek prompt care, and potentially improve their outcomes. Let’s not let the conversation stop here. **Together, we can continue to share, educate, and support awareness year-round. ** Spread the message—because awareness should never take a break. #breastcancerawareness #radiotherapy #oncology #awarenessshouldnevertakeabreak