The new year and a new decade is on its way! Seems like I've barely gotten used to writing "2009" on checks and letters, and here we are - ready to bid it goodbye. I think we may have a lot to look forward to in 2010. Research is producing less invasive surgical techniques such as laser ablation for fibroadenomas, new drugs for Triple Negative Breast Cancer called PARP inhibitors, and drugs will be delivered with nanoparticle technology that seeks out and destroys tumor cells without harming healthy tissue. Ten years ago, these things may have seemed like a dream.

Cancer treatments may move more in the direction of personalized medicine, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. My hope is that diseases such as breast cancer will be caught at very early stages, then accurately imaged and genetically tested to see what fuels the tumor - and exactly which therapies will kill it, with the least harm to the patient.

It would be great to see a new technology developed for breast cancer screening that does not involve compression and radiation, but we will not give up mammograms until a safe and widely available means has been found. For that matter, despite the recent controversy about breast screening guidelines, many women will refuse to give up their monthly breast self exams (BSE). So many women find their own breast lumps with BSE that dropping this important and cost-free screening seems laughable.

But I really want - along with The Cure - is more research on prevention of breast cancer. Wouldn't it be great if every person could have a health analysis done, and a risk summary given to them, along with a prevention plan? Such a plan might include an anti-cancer diet, recommendations for exercise, environmental detoxification ideas, and suggestions for achieving mental and spiritual balance aimed at lowering stress levels. I really try to practice what I preach on this site: make healthy lifestyle and diet choices, get exercise, have regular screenings, keep my weight down. That said, I am far from perfect - but I do hate cancer - and plan on doing all I can to prevent it's return.

This holiday season, I spent time visiting lots of people in my hometown - many of which I hadn't connected with in a long time. We cooked, laughed, swapped gifts, had meals, and talked over old times. I felt so happy to be alive to enjoy those moments! Every day that I am further away from my own cancer diagnosis is a wonderful gift. However you spend these remaining days of the decade, I wish for you good relationships, personal peace and wisdom, and the best of health for the coming years!

Good Health Fairy Photo © Pam Stephan

There she was, floating in a pink cloud of chiffon and feathers, wearing her official tiara and sneakers. Wait - do fairies wear sneakers? Well, René Bowditch, also known as the Good Health Fairy of Beyond Boobs, gets around a lot, so sneakers are de rigueur. Where do you find the Good Health Fairy? Well, I met her at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). Wand in hand and a magical smile on her radiant face, she attracted smiles from everyone around.

René Bowditch is a seven-year breast cancer survivor, patient advocate, instructor at the William and Mary Law School, and co-founder of Beyond Boobs. She was in the role of Good Health Fairy when she met Mary Beth Gibson at a retreat for breast cancer survivors. Together, they started a support group for premenopausal women - gals who had been told they were "too young to have breast cancer" and some of whom had delayed diagnoses.

While breast cancer is a serious subject, Beyond Boobs uses humor and counter-cultural attitudes to heal and create support for each other. Young women are dealing with issues of possible fertility loss, babysitting needs, body image, and family expectations, as well as the loss of their breasts. Your average 30-something isn't dealing with all these things, so getting your peers to understand you is almost impossible. That's where Beyond Boobs comes in. They offer support groups tailored just for young women.

René Bowditch and Mary Beth Gibson have two main goals for this non-profit. First, to educate women and save lives by teaching them how to be responsible for their own breast health. Second, to support and encourage young women who have breast cancer. They would like to reach beyond Virginia, where they are based, to anywhere in the country or the world where women may need to learn about early detection or to offer support where it is needed. That's the reason for the high top sneakers - René told me that they are available to speak to groups just about anywhere, and they are willing to travel! The Good Health Fairy will don her wings, take up her wand, and slip on her sneakers for The Cause!

Dr. Dennis Slamon Photo Courtesy © SABCS/Todd Buchanan 2009

Even if you haven't dealt with HER2 positive breast cancer, you've probably heard of the drug Herceptin or the movie "Living Proof" about Dr. Dennis Slamon and his work with breast cancer patients. Dr. Slamon is one of the rock stars of breast cancer research. Herceptin, a targeted biological therapy, was developed by Dr. Slamon and a team of researchers, and was tested on women with HER2 breast cancer in clinical trials. I watched as he presented his latest research at the 2009 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, in a vast hall with his image projected on a dozen huge screens that were viewed by a standing-room-only crowd.

Herceptin was FDA approved for treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer in 1998, and has saved and extended the lives the hundreds of thousands of patients. It has been used in conjunction with chemotherapy drugs such as Adriamycin and Avastin. Adriamycin is a powerful drug that is used to treat a variety of cancers, and can be hard on your heart. When Adriamycin and Herceptin have been used together, heart damage can occur. Dr. Slamon says that his study shows that when Herceptin is used without Adriamycin, the results are just as good. Members of the audience challenged his findings after he presented his research, but he stood by his results.

That is wonderful - but here's what really impressed me about Dr. Slamon. When he finished presenting his data, he started thanking people that had helped with the clinical trials. He had plenty of people to choose from - including over 300 researchers in many locations with impeccable credentials and bucketloads of experience. But here's what he did: he began by thanking all the patients who participated in the clinical trials - people who actually helped test the drug with their own lives. He did this rather humbly and with great sincerity. I love it when a doctor puts his patients first. Surely that kind of attitude leads to research that focuses on a cure, as well as patient well-being and quality of life.

Rock on, Dr. Slamon! HER2 positive breast cancer patients all over the world are thanking you.

Margarita Photo © Microsoft

Watch what you drink at those holiday parties! New research has found a link between having three or more drinks a week and breast cancer recurrence. While three or four drinks a week may sound fairly tame, the Life After Cancer Epidemiology (LACE) Study found that for women who were breast cancer survivors, the risk of recurrence jumped to 34% with only modest drinking.

The study, led by Marilyn Kwan, was funded by the National Cancer Institute, and presented at the 31st annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The LACE Study also determined that women who had been diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer and were postmenopausal, overweight, or obese had an even greater risk of recurrence if they drank three or more servings of alcohol each week. Beer, wine, and liquor contains calories that can pack on extra pounds, another risk factor you can control. Kwan's study followed 1,897 women for six years. Of the group studied, all had been diagnosed with breast cancer, half of them were considered drinkers (>0.5 g of alcohol per day), with wine being the alcohol most women consumed.

Alcohol also causes changes in the levels of female hormones in your body, so keep in mind that 80% of all breast cancers are fueled by estrogen and progesterone. "More research should be done, but there is a growing body of evidence which suggests that women previously diagnosed with breast cancer should speak with their doctor about possibly limiting their consumption of alcohol," says Dr. Kwan, Ph.D., a staff scientist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, California.

As for me, I'm on the wagon. My drinking was limited to 2 drinks a year, but I really hate breast cancer as well as the standard treatments for it. Anything I can do to reduce my risk of ever being diagnosed and put through chemo again - well, I'll do it! Try it this coming year - get help if you need it - stop drinking alcohol and see how you feel. You'll be healthier and more in control of your risk for developing breast cancer or having a recurrence.

Have you already stopped drinking alcohol? Leave a comment about how it affected you and your health.