Annual Breast Cancer Update

Miller PhotographyDr. Norton addresses participants. Miller PhotographyEsther Liss-Turner of the helpline staff asks a question. Regular mammograms and early detection are still the top strategies when it comes to getting the best outcomes for breast cancer, according to Dr. Larry Norton, the deputy physician-in-chief and director of breast cancer programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. Norton addressed some 130 people on Dec. 12 at the annual “Breast Cancer Update,” held at the UFT’s Manhattan headquarters by the UFT Health and Cancer Helpline/UFT Welfare Fund. “Dr. Norton also stressed the importance of maintaining a healthy weight, refraining from hormone replacement therapy and taking Vitamin D, with the dosage determined by your doctor,” reported Gianna Ruddock, the helpline’s director. Questions from participants arose about a recent stem-cell study, and Norton stressed that although it lays the basis for further research, there is nothing substantiated yet as to how this may affect treatment. The doctor had recently returned from a national symposium on breast cancer research to report that there have been no major breakthroughs. But that’s good news, he said, because it points to the ongoing success of current research and treatment.