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Oct. 3--This year alone, an estimated 310 women in Alaska will be newly diagnosed with breast cancer. And among all women struggling with the disease, about 60 will die, the American Cancer Society estimates.
The statistics are scary. And indeed, it is frightening for women to hear the diagnosis that they have cancer, said Lea Anne McWhorter, quality of life relationship manager for the Anchorage office of the American Cancer Society.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the American Cancer Society is stressing the importance of catching breast cancer early with regular mammograms and breast self-exams.
New to the market this year is the In Touch Self-Exam Glove, a product available to Alaskans online that is said to make it easier to detect lumps and other abnormalities during breast self-exams.
According to In Touch spokeswoman Felicia Crane, the company worked with a Baltimore doctor to develop the glove.
"Basically, women were told previously that they should use a silk robe or something slippery while doing a breast exam because it helps reduce friction," Crane said. "(The glove) does the same thing."
McWhorter said she had not heard of the In Touch glove -- and the American Cancer Society does not endorse commercial products -- but she is familiar with the idea and has used similar products successfully.
"I tried a breast self-exam pad myself and it was a pretty cool deal. It really does seem to increase the sensitivity so you can feel more," she said. "It's not unlike getting into the shower and getting all soapy. I think you could get the same kind of effect from that."
Sally Coburn, owner of Coburn Health Consulting, has been offering a breast self-exam pad locally for several years. The product she offers is similar to the In Touch glove, only rounder. She said she likes the pad because it is convenient and quick.
When purchasing a self-exam pad, women should make sure it is thin -- like a crepe, Coburn said. Thicker pads can actually conceal bumps.
"I still use mine," she said. "I just feel like it is a more thorough exam."
Crane said it is no coincidence that the In Touch glove is being launched this month. What better time to catch women's attention on such a health issue, she said.
Crane said the glove can be purchased at bathandbodyworks.com, and $1 from each purchase will be donated to the American Breast Cancer Foundation. The glove manufacturer, Sante Feminine, also will donate a portion of the price.
"It's made to be affordable so that everybody can buy it," Crane said. "They're not making any money on this glove."
Other self-exam pads available online include the Aware Self-Exam Kit (awarebse.com) and the Liv Pad (www. hbees.com), named after performer Olivia Newton-John, a breast cancer survivor and advocate for breast cancer research. Both cost more than $30, though. The In Touch glove costs $9 plus shipping, and the BSE Pad, available through Coburn locally, costs $13.
McWhorter said that while self-exams are important, the American Cancer Society stresses that clinical exams are a woman's best option for early detection of breast cancer.
"We've had some feedback from the physician community that a lot of women are getting a false sense of security that if they don't detect anything during a self-exam, then they are OK and they don't have to come in for an annual exam," she said. "So we're saying that after the age of 40, we are stressing the importance of the clinical exam.
"Please, be sure to continue doing (self-exams), because no one knows your body as good as yourself."
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TO GET A BSE PAD, a breast self-exam kit, go to www.makelife better.com and search for the BSE Pad under the "United States" link. Or call BSE representative Sally Coburn locally at 1-800-766-0898. The In Touch Self-Exam Glove is available at www.bathandbody works.com. Breast Cancer Awareness Month events
LOOK GOOD, FEEL BETTER workshops, Oct. 20 at Alaska Regional Hospital and Oct. 24 at Providence Alaska Medical Center. The workshops provide free cosmetics and makeover assistance to women undergoing cancer treatment.
REACH TO RECOVERY is a one-on-one program in which a volunteer who has had a similar cancer diagnosis will meet with newly diagnosed patients to share her experiences and thoughts.
ROAD TO RECOVERY is a program that provides volunteer drivers to take patients living in and outside the city to and from appointments and treatments.
For more details on any of these free services, contact the local chapter of the American Cancer Society at www.cancer.org, 277-8696 or 1-800-227-2345.
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Copyright (c) 2006, Anchorage Daily News, Alaska
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.
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