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In This Issue
Promising research on gliomas
Know your risks for breast and ovarian cancer
Patients more satisfied when involved in deciding care
Breast cancer survivor promotes cancer screening
What is "chemo-brain?"
St. ChristoCURES team rises to the Massey Challenge
Look good and feel better in 2012
Upcoming events

Visit our events calendar for a listing of all Massey events.
Capitol Square Basketball Game

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Senate vs. the House and the Governor's office vs. the Lobbyists face-off at 7:00 p.m. in the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center
 

Look Good... Feel Better workshop 

 

Monday, Mar. 12 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the VCU Massey Cancer Center

Registration is required. Get the details.
Richmond Raiders - VCU Night to benefit Massey
 
Saturday, Mar. 24,
7:00 p.m. at the
Richmond Coliseum
HDL, Inc. Massey Challenge

Read the article in this issue.
Volume 5, Issue 2
February 2012
Promising approach for anti-glioma therapies

Led by VCU Massey researcher William Broaddus, M.D., Ph.D., scientists from VCU and Old Dominion University have found that a new way to attack the invasiveness of gliomas (tumors that start in the brain or spine) may hold promise as a new treatment strategy. Further studies are needed, but this research gives hope in the face of a disease that is rarely curable.  Read more.

 

Know your risks for breast and ovarian cancer

VCU Massey's genetic counseling and testing can help you understand more about the hereditary factors that may increase your risk for cancer. According to Heather Creswick, M.S., C.G.C., genetic testing is a powerful tool for informing families of their cancer risk so that they have the option of taking preventive steps.

 

How did genetic testing help a cancer survivor and her daughters? Janice Hedwall shares her story with WTVR CBS 6: view video.

Patients prefer to be involved in deciding their care

Breast cancer patients are more satisfied with treatment outcomes and their medical care when they have been involved in the treatment decision-making process. That is a key finding of an international study led by VCU Massey researcher Richard Brown, Ph.D. Read more.

 

Breast cancer survivor challenges women to get mammograms

Geralyn LucasBreast cancer survivor and author of "Why I Wore Lipstick to My Mastectomy," Geralyn Lucas was the keynote speaker at the 17th Annual Women & Wellness Forum Series held earlier this month to benefit women's cancer research at Massey. Diagnosed at age 27, Lucas underwent a mastectomy that has inspired her to become a fierce advocate for mammograms and cancer screening.

 

Challenging the audience to consider how much discomfort and expense they bear in pursuit of beauty, she asks why some women won't endure the same for regular mammograms. This is the question posed her video titled "OUCH:"  View video.

 

Ask Massey: What is "chemo-brain"?

Patients sometimes notice a mental cloudiness associated with chemotherapy. This foggy state is commonly called "chemo-brain," even though its exact cause isn't always known. Research has begun to show that some cancer drugs can cause certain kinds of changes in the brain. But studies also show that chemotherapy is not the only cause of problems with thinking and memory for people with cancer. It's a murky condition that can have a significant impact on the patient's life.


Massey researchers Angela Starkweather, Ph.D., R.N., and Jeanne Walter, Ph.D., R.N., of the VCU School of Nursing are investigating the condition by exploring relationships among symptoms like fatigue and perceived stress, as well as among key behavioral and biological markers. Their NIH-funded longitudinal study follows 60 women with stage I or II breast cancer, and a control group of 30 similar women without cancer. The goal is to understand the underlying mechanisms that lead to the development of neurocognitive impairment (or chemo-brain).


Bottom line: "At Massey, we acknowledge that chemo-brain is real, and not something imagined," says Mary Helen Hackney, M.D. "This means you should talk with your cancer team about your concerns and any fogginess or forgetfulness you experience. They need to know this and may want to do cognitive testing. The good news is that the brain usually recovers over time."

 

It all adds up!HDL

"Everything counts," says Harrison McVey, a junior at St. Christopher's School. "If you get 10 people to raise $5, that's extremely helpful. It all adds up." McVey should know. The captain of his school's fundraising team, his efforts to support cancer research at VCU Massey as part of the 2011 Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k added up to $10,000.


"It might take only five minutes to send an email to raise money for the Massey Challenge," said McVey. "That money could save somebody's life. Everybody can help get rid of cancer."
 

Read more about how the St. Christopher's community and 121 other teams are fundraising for Massey. 

 

Join "St. ChristoCURES" in the 2012 HDL, Inc. Massey Challenge

 

The Massey Challenge is an official charity of the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k presented by MARTINS. Joining is a simple process.

  • Register: After you sign up to participate in the 10k, register to help raise funds in the HDL, Inc. Massey Challenge. You can register as a team or an individual at no cost.
  • Raise: As you prepare for the race, raise funds for Massey's cancer research by asking friends and family to sponsor you.  Our online system makes sending emails and receiving online donations easy, or you can be creative and raise money in other fun and unique ways.
  • Remember, the 10K race registration fees do not benefit VCU Massey Cancer Center, so we need your support of the HDL, Inc. Massey Challenge.
  • Run or walk on March 31 with 40,000 of your friends, family, neighbors and colleagues.

For full details and to sign up, visit www.run4massey.org.

 

Look good and feel better in 2012

Look Good... Feel Better is a free two-hour, hands-on group workshop that helps cancer patients cope with the appearance-related side effects of treatment. Patients must be undergoing chemotherapy or radiation treatment, or be recently finished with treatment to participate.

 

Workshops are conducted by volunteer cosmetologists and include a 12-step skin care and makeup program, as well as a demonstration on how to use wigs, turbans, scarves and hats. A free gift of cosmetics is also provided.


Massey offers the program in two locations. Registration is required.

 

grlVCU Massey Cancer Center on the MCV Campus
Goodwin Research Laboratory, Thalhimer Conference Room
401 College Street, Richmond, VA
Free valet parking offered

Day and time: Mondays, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Dates: March 12, May 14, September 10, November 12
To register: call Meg Hodges at 804-527-3730

 

VCU Massey Cancer Center at Hanover Medical Park
Sheltering Arms Conference Room One
8254 Atlee Road, Mechanicsville, VA
Free self parking
Day and time: Mondays, 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Dates: April 2, June 11, August 6, October 15, December 10
To register: call Karen Mullin at 804-559-1841

 

For more dates and locations, visit: http://lookgoodfeelbetter.org/programs

 

__________________________________

Momentum is published by VCU Massey Cancer Center.

David Raine, Jr.
Communications Coordinator
804-628-1829

If you have questions about cancer, cancer treatments or survivorship, please ASK MASSEY.

To learn more about VCU Massey Cancer Center, please visit our Web site at www.massey.vcu.edu.