Phillips Health Care Newsletter

Different people have different symptoms of breast cancer. Some people do not have any signs or symptoms at all.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of breast cancer.

Symptoms of breast cancer are—

New lump in the breast or underarm (armpit).

Thickening or swelling of part of the breast.

Irritation or dimpling of breast skin.

Redness or flaky skin in the nipple area or the breast.

Pulling in of the nipple or pain in the nipple area.

Nipple discharge other than breast milk, including blood.

Any change in the size or the shape of the breast.

Pain in any area of the breast.

Keep in mind that these symptoms can happen with other conditions that are not cancer.

If you have any signs or symptoms that worry you, be sure to see your doctor right away.

Risk Factors That Can’t Be Changed.

Studies have shown that your risk for breast cancer is due to a combination of factors. The main factors that influence your risk include being a woman and getting older. Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older.

Other factors include family history of breast or ovarian cancer, early menstrual periods or late menopause, genetic mutations, dense breast tissue, having taken DES during pregnancy. 

Risk Factors That Can Be Changed:

Being physically inactive, being overweight or obese, taking hormones, having a first pregnancy after 30, not breast feeing, never having a full term 

pregnancy and drinking an excess aount of alcohol are all risk factors 

that can be changed.

If you have a strong family history of breast cancer or inherited changes in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, you may have a high risk of getting breast cancer. You may also have a high risk for ovarian cancer. Talk to your Philips Clinic provider about ways to reduce your risk,

Talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk,

WHAT IS OVARIAN CANCER?

Cancer starts when cells in the body begin to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can spread to other areas of the body. 

Ovarian cancer begins in the ovaries. Ovaries are reproductive glands found only in females (women). The ovaries produce eggs (ova) for reproduction. The eggs travel through the fallopian tubes into the uterus where the fertilized egg implants and develops into a fetus. The ovaries are also the main source of the female hormones estrogen and progesterone.

 One ovary is on each side of the uterus in the pelvis.

STATISTICS FOR

OVARIAN CANCER

The American Cancer 

Society estimates for 

ovarian cancer in the United States for 2016 are:

About 22,280 women will receive a new diagnosis of ovarian cancer.

About 14,240 women will die from ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer accounts for more deaths than any other cancer of the 

female reproductive system. A woman's risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 75. Her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 100. 

Ovarian cancer mainly develops in older women. About half of the women who are diagnosed are 63 years or older. It is more common in white women than African-American women.

The rate at which women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer has been slowly falling over the past 20 years.

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS

Researchers have discovered several specific factors that change a woman's likelihood of developing epithelial ovarian cancer..

Age

The risk of developing ovarian cancer gets higher with age. Ovarian cancer is rare in women younger than 40. Most ovarian cancers develop after menopause. Half of all ovarian cancers are found in women 63 years of age or older.

Obesity

Various studies have looked at the relationship of obesity and ovarian cancer. Overall, it seems that obese women (those with a body mass index of at least 30) have a higher risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Reproductive history

Women who have been pregnant and carried it to term before age 26 have a lower risk of ovarian cancer than women who have not. The risk goes down with each full-term pregnancy. Women who have their first full-term pregnancy after age 35 or who never carried a pregnancy to term have a higher risk of ovarian cancer.

Breastfeeding may lower the risk even further.

Birth control

Women who have used oral contraceptives (also known as birth control pills or the pill) have a lower risk of ovarian cancer. The lower risk is seen after only 3 to 6 months of using the pill, and the risk is lower the longer the pills are used. This lower risk continues for many years after the pill is stopped.

A recent study found that the women who used depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA or Depo-Provera CI ), an injectable hormonal contraceptive had a lower risk of ovarian cancer. The risk was even lower if the women had used it for 3 or more years.

Gynecologic surgery

Tubal ligation (having your tubes tied) may reduce the chance of developing ovarian cancer by up to two-thirds. A hysterectomy (removing the uterus without removing the ovaries) also seems to reduce the risk of getting ovarian cancer by about one-third.

Fertility drugs

In some studies, researchers have found that using the fertility drug clomiphene citrate (Clomid ) for longer than one year may increase the risk for developing ovarian tumors. The risk seemed to be highest in women who did not get pregnant while on this drug. Fertility drugs seem to increase the risk of the type of ovarian tumors known as "low malignant potential" (described in the section, "What is ovarian cancer?"). If you are taking fertility drugs, you should discuss the potential risks with your doctor. However, women who are infertile may be at higher risk (compared to fertile women) even if they don t use fertility drugs. This might be in part because they haven't carried a pregnancy to term or used birth control pills (which are protective).

Gynecologic surgery

Tubal ligation (having your tubes tied) may reduce the chance of developing ovarian cancer by up to two-thirds. A hysterectomy (removing the uterus without removing the ovaries) also seems to reduce the risk of getting ovarian cancer by about one-third.

Fertility drugs

In some studies, researchers have found that using the fertility drug clomiphene citrate (Clomid ) for longer than one year may increase the risk for developing ovarian tumors. The risk seemed to be highest in women who did not get pregnant while on this drug. 

Family history of :

Ovarian cancer, breast cancer, or colorectal cancer

What are Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect, especially, in the early stages. This is partly due to the fact that the ovaries are deep within the abdominal cavity. 

Some of the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer:

Pelvic or abdominal pain

Trouble eating or feeling full quickly

Feeling the need to urinate urgently or often

Other symptoms of ovarian cancer can include:

Fatigue

Upset stomach or heartburn

Back pain

Pain during sex

Constipation or menstrual changes

To learn more log on to ovarian.org

 or call 1-888-OVARIAN

It's Back to School time, and time to update kids immunizations.

The CDC recommends these immunizations

Chickenpox

DPT

Hib

MMR

Polio

PCV

HepA & HepB

Schedule for immunizations from ages 0 to 18 years can be found on the CDC website.

Hepatitis C Basics

KEY POINTS

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV).

Many people with hepatitis C don't look or feel sick so might not know they have the virus.

Left untreated, hepatitis C can lead to serious liver problems, like scarring and cancer.

About Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by Hepatitis C Virus. Hepatitis C can range from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, long-term illness.

Fast facts

Hepatitis C is one of the most common types of viral hepatitis in the United States.

It is estimated that more than 2.4 million people - and as many as 4 million people - had hepatitis C from 2017-2020. 1

After more than a decade of annual increases, the rate of acute hepatitis C declined for the first time in 2022.

Rates of acute hepatitis C were highest among non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native people.

People ages 20–39 years had the highest incidence of acute hepatitis C.

More than half (52%) of cases with risk information were associated with using injection drugs.

Types

The two types of hepatitis C are:

Acute hepatitis C

When someone is first infected with HCV, they can either have a very mild illness with few or no symptoms or a serious condition that could require hospitalization.

Less than half of people who get hepatitis C are able to clear the virus in the first 6 months after infection without treatment.

Chronic hepatitis C

Most people who get infected will develop a chronic, or lifelong, infection. Left untreated, chronic hepatitis C can cause serious health problems including liver disease, liver failure, liver cancer, and even death. Chronic hepatitis C is a leading cause of liver cancer and the leading cause of liver transplants in the United States.

Signs and symptoms

You can have hepatitis C even if you don't have any symptoms. ?

Many people with hepatitis C don't look or feel sick.

If you do develop symptoms, you will notice them 2-12 weeks after infection with the virus. Signs can include:

Dark urine or clay-colored stools

Feeling tired

Fever

Joint pain

Loss of appetite

Nausea, stomach pain, throwing up

Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)

People with chronic hepatitis C are usually asymptomatic, meaning they do not have symptoms, or have general symptoms like chronic tiredness or depression. Yet even people without symptoms can spread the virus to others.

Keep Reading: Signs and Symptoms of Hepatitis C

How it spreads

Hepatitis C is spread when blood from an HCV-infected person — even microscopic amounts — enters the body of someone who is not infected. Because of how it spreads, certain life circumstances, jobs, and behaviors can increase your risk for hepatitis C.

It's important to know that even people who have cleared or been cured of the virus can be re-infected.

Screening, testing, and diagnosis

Hepatitis C usually doesn't have symptoms. Getting testing is the only way to know if you have hepatitis C.

Testing 

Your doctor will draw blood to do an HCV antibody test that will show whether you have ever been infected with HCV.  If you have an active infection, your doctor will diagnose you with hepatitis C and get you started with treatment right away.

Treatment

Most treatments involve 8–12 weeks of oral medication (pills). Treatment cures more than 95% of patients with hepatitis C, usually without side effects.

ANNUAL PHYSICALS

Why are Check-Ups Important?

According to the CDC:

“Regular health exams and tests can help find problems before they start. They also can help find problems early, when your chances for treatment and cure are better. By getting the right health services, screenings, and treatments, you are taking steps that help your chances for living a longer, healthier life. Your age, health and family history, lifestyle choices (i.e. what you eat, how active you are, whether you smoke), and other important factors impact what and how often you need healthcare.”

What better time than summer to take some time and schedule an appointment—for adults (when it’s vacation time) and kids (when school is out). 

RECOMMENDED FOR ADULTS

Recommendations for adults can       include:

Personal & Family History

Any Complaints and/or Concerns

Vitals, including Height, Weight, Temperature, Respiration 

& Blood Pressure

Blood pressure Check

Heart Health Check

Lung Health

Head & Neck Exam

Abdominal Exam

Skin & Nails Exam

Extremities Exam

General Appearance Physical Exam

ADDITIONAL EXAMS 

FOR MEN

Testicular exam:  Check each testicle for lumps, tenderness, or changes in size. Most men with testicular cancer notice a growth before seeing a doctor.

Hernia exam: Check for a weakness in the abdominal wall between the intestines and scrotum.

Prostate exam:  Checking the prostate for its size and any suspicious areas.

ADDITIONAL EXAMS 

FOR WOMAN

Breast exam. Feeling for abnormal lumps, lymph nodes in the underarm area and look for visual abnormalities of the breasts and nipples.

Pelvic exam: The pelvic exam allows examination of the vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus and ovaries and a PAP test.

LABS

Complete blood count (CBC)

Chemistry panel

Urinalysis (UA)

Lipid Panel (cholesterol levels)

Blood Sugar (for diabetes)

PREVENTIVE

Colorectal cancer screening is recommended for all adults, 45 and over

Mammograms are recommended for women over 40.

FOR KIDS

Preschool age children (4-5 years old):

Preschool age children need to have their 4/5 year old vaccines before starting kindergarten. These can be given as early as age 4 but can wait until just prior to the start of kindergarten.  A physical prior to starting first grade.  The ideal time to schedule a physical examination is in the summer before your child will start kindergarten. 

School age children (6-11 years old):

After starting school, a physical is recommended every two years. They will need vaccines again at  age 11 or 12. If children are participating in sports, a sports physical is required. 

Teenagers (12-17 years old):

If your teenager is participating in school sports, they will need an annual sports physical. If not, a physical is recommended every two years. There are vaccines recommended 11- and 12 years old, and then possibly again when at 16.

Phillips Clinic Family Practice     providers go beyond the minimum recommended yearly primary care checkups, and offers wellness and anti-aging services as well.