Posts Tagged ‘Cancer’

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What to do when the hair is gone

October 24th, 2011

Follea Wig


Hair loss is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy. Some people prefer to let their baldness run its course untreated and unhidden. For others, losing their hair makes them feel raw, and exposed. What is most important to know is that what ever your choice, you should know that some insurance companies will reimburse women for the purchase of a medical cranial hair prosthesis (wig).
Most insurance companies will require a prescription from your physician or oncologist for a medical cranial hair prosthesis. Many of the companies will not cover wigs and it will be important to have the correct wording (medical cranial hair prosthesis) in the prescription in order to get reimbursement.
It is also suggested that you obtain a letter of medical necessity from your physician, oncologist, or dermatologist. This will be an explanation of the need for the medical cranial hair prosthesis and the medical cause for the loss of hair. It will also be necessary to provide a paid receipt for the medical cranial hair prosthesis for the insurance company.
Information necessary for insurance reimbursement:
A prescription for a medical cranial hair prosthesis from your physician
A letter of medical necessity from your physician
A paid receipt for the medical cranial hair prosthesis
A confirmation of prosthetic coverage from the insurance company

Since a wig is not everyone’s choice below are some wig options and alternatives:

www.caringandcomfort.com
A unique option is to use your hair or donated hair to make your own wig. You can send just one head of hair (one ponytail) and they will match the color and texture to provide the rest needed to complete the wig. (About 3 heads of hair are used to make each wig.)

www.follea.com
A great choice for women is the Gripper-2 Cool which features a hand-tied lace top, with small open lace-front. They chose to incorporate a soft-lined, close-wefted back that passes the “hairdryer test”. That is, if you blow a hairdryer (or a strong wind) on the back of your head, you don’t see the wefts. In order to accomplish this they have almost doubled the density in the back top and side sections just below the crown, in comparison to the original Gripper Cool. The advantages of this design include allowing more air to pass through to the scalp, to keep the wearer cool, as well as letting the style lay closer to the back of the head. It also vastly reduces the risk of hair inverting through the cap compared to an all hand-tied back.follea gripper
In NYC you can get them from:

Michelle Duncan
380 Lenox Avenue Ste 3A
New York, NY 10027
917-733-4160
www.charlesduncanbeaute.com

http://www.y-me.org
The Y-Me National Breast Cancer Organization provides wigs, prostheses and mastectomy bras to women whose budget just won’t stretch to cover the cost of those items. Contact them to find out where the closest affiliate office is located that has a Wig Bank. The NBCO offices often have salons where women can try on items before taking them home.

http://andrewdisimonewigs.com
American Cancer Society volunteer and NYC veteran hairstylist, Andrew DiSimone offers the largest selection of all hand tied wigs in New York City and complementary 24 hour drop off wig servicing at his NYC hair salon for as long as you need to wear it. Wigs by Andrew Disimone are revolutionary hair systems with graft technology – not old style weft design. Each hair loss system is essentially a stocking thin layer of skin or lace with human or synthetic hair tied to it one at a time! They have an easy on/off design that allows your own hair to grow underneath. No tapes or bond to hold them on, and they fit incredibly well. A custom mold of your head can be made, plus you can request any hair texture, color and length up to 20″.

http://www.4women.com/
BeauBeau® head scarves are designed specifically for hair loss due to chemotherapy, alopecia or other medical conditions. They’re unique, fashionable and versatile!

Choose head scarves from Soft rayon, delicate silk, workout fabrics, headwarmers – lined with exquisitely soft cotton. Their chic cancer scarves focus on uniqueness over mass production, creating beautiful cancer headwear to compliment your wardrobe from casual to elegant.

http://www.forzieri.com
For luxury head scarves from designers like Missoni and Cavalli this site is great.

http://www.headcovers.com
This site was created by a breast cancer survivor and has some great sleep caps and hats.

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Posted in Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Skin Cancer, Uncategorized

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New 5 Day Non Invasive Treatment for Breast Cancer

October 11th, 2011

As you might recall The Farber Center for Radiation Oncology was the first in NYC to treat patients with AccuBoost, an image-guided treatment for breast cancer. The process uses digital mammography for localization and surface applications for the delivery of radiation. Prior to AccuBoost, partial breast irradiation treatment was performed via invasive techniques such as employing multiple protruding catheters or with inflatable balloon devices implanted into the breast. AccuBoost is the first technology to allow High Dose Rate (HDR) treatment of breast cancer in a Non-Invasive way.

Now The Farber Center for Radiation Oncology will take part as a clinical site with Brown University Oncology Group in an AccuBoost Study designed to evaluate the toxicity, recurrence, and cosmetic outcome of AccuBoost as a form of non-invasive accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). The faculty in the department of Radiation Oncology at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University is among international experts in partial breast irradiation and has had expertise in this field that spans several decades. We are proud to be working with them.

Whole breast radiation therapy as a standard technique for adjuvant RT following breast conservation surgery is typically daily treatments for 3.5 weeks to 6.5 weeks. The AccuBoost accelerated partial breast irradiation reduces the volume of breast tissue treated and surrounding organs (heart, lung), in a shorter treatment time (10 treatments over 5-10 days). Patients can be treated twice a day for 5 days or once a day for 10 days in place of whole breast radiation therapy.

We will be looking for patients to participate in the study that fill the following criteria:
Patients referred for adjuvant radiation therapy who are diagnosed as early stage node negative hormone receptor positive with:

1. A confirmed histological diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma or DCIS
2. Age greater or equal to 50 years old
3. Treated by breast conserving surgery with axillary node dissection or sentinel lymph node biopsy

If you are interested in participating in the study please contact The Farber Center for Radiation Oncology at 212 300-0663 to schedule a consultation.

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Posted in Breast Cancer

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Have Cancer and Need a Helping Hand?

August 29th, 2011

Lotsa Helping Hands was created to answer the question what can I do to help? If you are caring for someone with cancer or in a crisis, or going through one yourself, chances are you have heard this question a lot. And, if you have watched a friend or loved one in need, you have probably asked the same question. Everyone wants to help, but no one knows exactly what to do. Its simple, free and private! How does it work?

1. Visit the Create a Community Page
In literally minutes, you, a friend or family member can fill out the form on our Create a Community page. Simply enter the name of the community being created and your name and email address. Who should create the community?

2. Invite members who want to help
Next, enter the names and email addresses of those you wish to be part of your community. Start with people who have expressed interest in helping. You can keep adding names once your community is created. Members have to be invited to join your community or request membership. Members receive a “welcome” email message about the community, with sign-in information.

3. Enter volunteer tasks
Go to the Administration Tab in your community and begin posting needs with our easy to use templates. This may include dinner on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights; or rides to medical appointments on Tuesday mornings. Members are notified by email when new needs are posted. The system sends reminders to volunteers so no one forgets their commitments.

4. Add more information to your community
Now, you can add more to your community – post photos, create custom sections, add resources from our nonprofit partners, and more. And, members can post well wishes, share announcements, and send messages to the family.

They also offer other coordination needs for military families. You can go here to see a video or start your own page: Helping Hands

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Posted in Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Renderings, Skin Cancer, Uncategorized

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Cancer Patients Speak Out About The Farber Center

August 9th, 2011

A special thank you to our patients who were kind enough to speak out and tell their stories and allow us to put together this video. These patients are fighting breast cancer, prostate cancer, sarcoma, and brain cancer. We will have longer versions of the stories available soon on our website. Grace Huang directed the film, and Industrial color handled the post production.

About Grace Huang: You might remember her from our Rocks Against Cancer Video. Grace began her photography career at Harvard University, where she obtained a BA in Visual Environmental Studies under the tutelage of acclaimed fine art photographer Christopher James. After graduation, a Rotary International Fellowship afforded her the opportunity to spend an adventurous year in and around Provence while attending the Ecole Nationale de la Photographie. Settling in New York City, Grace began her professional photographic career shooting everything from fashion and beauty to lifestyle and travel for a wide range of magazines. Her signature style of cinematic storytelling and naturalistic spontaneity evolved over the next decade. Today she has a eclectic career shooting both stills and motion for a diverse editorial and advertising clientele. Her editorial clients include InStyle, British Marie Claire, Red, German InStyle, Self and Lucky. Her advertising clientele includes Dove, EOS, Mary Kay, St. Ives, Aveeno, Clinique, John Frieda, Cyzone, Gillette, Johnsons, Carefree, Hue, No Nonsense, Gardasil, Olay, Avon, Lilly Pulitzer, Liz Claiborne, Target, Godiva, Walmart and Saks Fifth Avenue. Grace has photographed a range of celebrities such as Krysten Ritter, Katrina Bowden, Poppy Delevingne, Bijou Phillips, Cory Kennedy, Jennifer Morrison, Carmen Electra, Julie Delpy, Jessica Simpson, Cynthia Rowley, Shiva Rose, Sarah Chalke, Elisha Cuthbert, Mia Tyler, Daisy Fuentes, Rhona Mitra, Whitney Port, Daveigh Chase, Sarah Wynter, B. Smith, Jesse Martin, Christy Turlington, Frederick Fekkai, Sergio Garcia, and Henrik Lundqvist.

About Industrial Color: From top tech and production support on over 10,000 shoots to inventing online digital photo workflow, Industrial Color continues to push the limits and develop industry standards. With offices in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, their talented team and extensive production capacity enables them to provide a full range of high-end services to clients whether it be in studio or on location anywhere around the globe. Services of Industrial Color include: digital still and RED and HD video capture, post-production, color and video editing services, archival printing, high-speed file transfer, online image management, archive and file storage.

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Posted in Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Skin Cancer, Uncategorized

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Talk About Health

August 2nd, 2011

TalkAboutHealth is where patients and caregivers get personalized, helpful, and accurate answers from experts, survivors, and organizations.

TalkAboutHealth has carefully chosen leading medical professionals and experts to join the community and share their expertise and knowledge. They are a welcoming and caring community who have come together to meet, share, and learn with each other. They welcome patients, families, caregivers, survivors, professionals, and organizations. Everyone is encouraged to share their unique knowledge and experiences. The more we share, the more lives we improve and save.

How does it work:
TalkAboutHealth finds and notifies the right experts, survivors, and organizations to answer questions. They then connect patients, high risk individuals, and supporters who need health support, with survivors, experts, and organizations who can help.

You can then post your discoveries or what you are thinking to educate others and start conversations. Talk About Health then recommends matches for you with people who can help, such as experienced peers, survivors, and experts. They match members based on experiences, disease, treatments, medications, side effects, demographics, cultural background, and much more.

Accurate, timely, and helpful

The right people are notified right away to answer questions based on experience and specialty. Both the staff at TalkAboutHealth and experienced community members review all answers. If answers are not accurate or helpful, they are marked “Not helpful”, or are flagged and removed.

Personalized and relevant

They match you with the answers and knowledge you need based on your health and profile information.

Organized and curated

The community organizes and curates the questions and answers so that the information is trusted and easily found.

Real-time notifications

They notify you of new answers and updates via facebook, email, instant message, and twitter so you get the latest information.

Click here for current work shops, one featuring Dr. Leonard Farber from The Farber Center for Radiation Oncology answering questions on Radiation Oncology and Partial Breast Irradiation (APBI): Current Work Shops

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Posted in Breast Cancer

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Almost Half of Older Post Mastectomy Patients Don’t Get Radiation

June 28th, 2011

Radiation treatment after a mastectomy for advanced breast cancer is part of the standard treatment guidelines. In the mid-1990s, several studies (Huang Study) concluded that mastectomy patients with advanced breast cancer have better outcomes if they undergo radiation after surgery. Initially, the medical community seemed to pay attention to the findings. As a result four organizations had issued guidelines about the value of radiation after mastectomy from 1999 to 2001: the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. From 1996 and 1998, the rates of radiation following mastectomy for women ages 66 and older increased from 36.5% to 57.7%. But in a review of data from 1998 to 2005, researchers from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found no further increase. But more than a decade after the lifesaving value of radiation was confirmed, about half of all women who should get radiation therapy aren’t getting it.

The new study, published in the journal Cancer, finds that 45.2% of older women found to have high-risk breast cancer between 1999 and 2005 did not receive additional post-mastectomy radiation treatment, despite the publication of major guidelines recommending the therapy. High risk patients were defined as Stage 3 breast cancers, patients with tumors 5 centimeters or larger and those where the tumor had spread to four or more lymph nodes.

What the study also found was that women who live in areas with a lot of radiation oncologists were 20% more likely to get radiation than women who did not. They contribute this to the particular challenge of older patients in getting daily radiation treatment for five or six weeks, especially those living in rural areas with limited access to transportation.

It is important for patients to have a discussion with their physician about the possibility of recurrence without radiation. It is important that the oncologist and breast surgeons have these challenging discussions to ensure the patient is aware of all the options and is getting the most appropriate care for them.

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Posted in Breast Cancer, Uncategorized

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The Farber Center Walks for Cancer

April 18th, 2011

Marina Higgins VP Argo Real Estate

On April 30th, The Farber Center Team lead by our patient Marina, will walk for the 14th Annual Industry Foundation Revlon Run/Walk in New York City.
The EIF Revlon Run Walk was created in 1994 through the committed and collective efforts of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Lilly Tartikoff and Ronald O. Perelman. The EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women has grown to become one of the nation’s largest 5K fundraising events. To date, the Run/Walks (in Los Angeles and New York) have distributed over $60 million for cancer research, treatment, counseling and outreach programs. Thanks in part to these funds, new treatments are being developed and lives are being saved.

Your donation will help fund important research into the cause and cure of women’s cancers, prevention, education and support service programs.

So please donate if you can. Here is the link: DONATE

Team t-shirt by our friend Dan McClure: his email:dan@eastcoastsportswear.com

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Posted in Breast Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Skin Cancer

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Lee National Denim Day for Breast Cancer Research

October 1st, 2010


Since its inception in 1996, Lee National Denim Day has adhered to a simple philosophy: one day, one cause, one cure®. In 14 years, that philosophy has become a mantra for millions and has made an impact Lee Jeans never dreamed possible. Since its inception, Lee National Denim Day has raised over $80 million to fund breast cancer research and support programs for patients and survivors. Each Denim Day, Americans across the country are encouraged to make donations and wear jeans signifying their support in the fight against breast cancer.

This year, actress Felicity Huffman, whose Desperate Housewives TV character has been battling breast cancer, will be the official 2010 Lee National Denim Day Ambassador.

Even though Denim Day isn’t until October 8, supporters are encouraged to register online now. The program provides a free participation kit which includes educational materials about breast cancer and helpful information to coordinate Denim Day groups amongst friends, family or co-workers.

Funds raised support EIF’s efforts to discover new methods for early breast cancer detection and more effective, less toxic treatments.

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Todd Wolfe Band Performing at Rocks Against Cancer

September 11th, 2010

Todd began playing on the New York scene back in 1979 with his band, Troy & the Tornados performing in rooms such as the Lone Star Cafe, The Ritz, My Father’s Place, Lamour’s, The Chance, Tramps, Rodeo Bar and probably any hole in the wall in the NYC area that would book the Tornados.

Todd or ‘Troy’ and company opened for a bevy of acts such as, Johnny Winter, Robin Trower, The Neville Bros., Son Seals, Dickey Betts, Omar & the Howlers, Gregg Allman, The Outlaws, Smithereens, Zebra, and his first opener back in 1980 , Albert Collins!

Todd Wolfe (left), Roger Voss (drums), and Suavek Zaniesienko (right)

Todd decided to head west in 1990 to write and record a demo with a then unknown backup singer named Sheryl Crow. After having that demo passed on by some major labels and not generating much interest after one show case performance, Todd decided to stay in Los Angeles to record and tour with former Textone, Carla Olson. Todd continued to record and perform with Carla and gig with his own blues trio and kept busy scoring soundtracks for the Playboy Channel. Sheryl in the meantime, had finished her first album, ‘Tuesday Night Music Club’ and needed a guitarist for her touring band which she put together in June of 1993 so, Todd came on board and remained until February of 1998.

In 1996, Todd relocated back to the NYC area and with Eric Massimino, Mike Lawrence and Crow band mate Scott Bryan founded A & M Record’s MOJOSON, a modern blend of psychedelic Rock and Blues. Since the Universal takeover of the Polygram group left new A & M acts like Mojoson in limbo, Todd elected to leave the label and dissolve Mojoson, putting his energies into Wolfe, which was born during the downtime from Sheryl Crow tours. Todd and his band, plays aggressive and daring blues tinged jam-rock reminiscent of the bands of the sixties and seventies. Now, with his newest band Todd Wolfe picks up where he left off 10 years ago with his original Bluesadelic-jamming sounds! “Borrowed Time”, Todd’s fifth album just released by Blues Leaf Records in North America and soon to be released in Europe by Hypertension Music is mostly comprised of original songs including “California” a song that Todd wrote with Sheryl Crow. Also included on the upcoming release is “Baby I’m Down” a Felix Pappalardi song from the first Leslie West album “Mountain”. Todd is joined by Leslie on guitar and vocals for the remaking of this song making it a new classic! Also joining Todd and the band on the new disc is Susan Cowsill and Mary Hawkins. Todd’s songs have been covered by a diverse range of artist such as, Deborah Coleman, Larry McCray, Faith Hill & Stevie Nicks.

To find out more about the band click here: Todd Wolfe Band

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John Lithgow will chair Rocks Against Cancer!

August 23rd, 2010

Lithgow is a native New Yorker born October 19, 1945 in Rochester NY. He is a distinguished actor of stage, television, and movies who is at home playing everything from menacing villains, big-hearted transsexuals, and loopy aliens. John Lithgow is also a composer and performer of children’s songs, a Harvard graduate, a talented painter, and a devoted husband and father.

He attended Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1967. He lived in Dunster House as an undergraduate, across the hall from roommates former Vice President Al Gore and actor Tommy Lee Jones. Lithgow later served on its Board of Overseers. Lithgow credits a performance at Harvard of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Utopia Limited with helping him decide to become an actor. After graduation, Lithgow won a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Lithgow is known for his roles as the Reverend Shaw Moore in Footloose, Dick Solomon on the NBC sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, the voice of Lord Farquaad in Shrek, and Arthur Mitchell on Showtime’s Dexter for which he just won an Emmy for best Actor in a drama and a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. He appeared in the films The World According to Garp (1982) and Terms of Endearment (1983), receiving the Academy Award nomination for best actor in a supporting role for each.

On the stage, he appeared in the musical adaptation of Sweet Smell of Success, winning the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical. He again appeared in a musical, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, receiving the Tony nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.
He has also recorded music, such as the 1999 album of children’s music, Singin’ in the Bathtub, and has written poetry and short stories for children, such as Marsupial Sue.

Mr. Lithgow is a true Renaissance man. We are honored to have him as our chair for Rocks Against Cancer.

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