Are We Hogging the Spotlight

IllinoisNancy

I just ran across this article.  I would be interested in getting some of your opinions on the topic.

IllinoisNancy

   http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27283197/

What do you ladies think of this article?

mke

I think he has a point. Sure other diseases should get research funding too. But it is a bit short sighted to think that all BC research has relevance only to BC. Much of it is at the genetic or cellular level and has much wider applicability.



PS Is that a Samoyed puppy?

IllinoisNancy

I agree with you mke and it's an American Eskimo.

ravdeb

I don't think he should be comparing BC to urinary incontinence. BC is life threatening. The other is not.

The fact that it is so "out there" has helped to catch bc at its early stages and women are living longer.

 I did not like the term "sexy" in talking about bc. BC is not sexy or pretty or pink. It's a deadly disease. And there is no cure. We all know somebody close to us who has died from it. And many of us are survivors who will always be haunted by the diagnosis...

I personally hate all the pink stuff. What we need are ways to stop the disease in its tracks so that women can survive. and if we can prevent it..well..that would be the best.

NoH8

I've been saying for years that breast cancer gets too big of the piece of pie of research dollars because it's a socially acceptable cancer. It's been marketed with pretty pink ribbons, I love the pink ribbon and I think the symbol has  brought a lot of awareness and probably saved lives. I feel bad for people with less socially acceptable cancers like lung cancer. I want to see the bulk of research dollars going toward stem cell research.

mke

I'm of two minds about the pink stuff. I have a pink ribbon license holder on my car - it was a gift. When we got another car I asked the guys to transfer the holder and told them why. Maybe that was playing the BC card but I looked at it as showing that a woman with BC could bargain and buy another car and drive away.



I think we really owe a debt of gratitude to the women and probably men who talked about BC. It wasn't that long ago that breasts couldn't be mentioned in polite society. I think Betty Ford was lauded because she actually admitted to having BC (or was that drug addiction or both - I'm not trying to be funny I really don't remember).



BC wasn't socially acceptable, people don't really want to talk about rectal cancer, prostate cancer is woefully underfunded.









Thanks Nancy, the pup didn't look quite like a Samoyed but I couldn't think what else.

lewisfamily503

Let's not compare whose cancer is worse--they are ALL BAD!!!!!      Let's just work towards a cure for each and every one of them.  

ya_moe

Agreed.  We've become complacent in our fight against Cancer.  Considering our advancement in almost every field of science, technology and medicine over the last 80 years, we're LOSING the WAR on Cancer (just look at the stats from ACS since 1930), and aren't even aware of it. Yes there is a victory here or there, but overall, and over 80 years, it's bleak!

 Yes Cancer has become "socially acceptable" and therein lies the danger!

ravdeb

Okay..as much as I hate the pink (and I like the color..don't get me wrong!) i wear bc shoe laces from the ACS in my Nikes, given to me when I was diagnosed. I still have them.

 I didn't know that some cancers were more socially accepted than others. I do know that in some religious communities women have nobody to talk to about breast cancer as discussing it is not proper. But these are minorities (and hopefully we can get to these women and support them).

I think bc has come out big and strong because there were people who made it happen. We need more people to do this for the other types of cancers.

Most prostate cancer is caught early and they feel it is cured once they have done the treatments. There is one rare form of this cancer where about 1% of the prostates fall into. It resembles small cell lung cancer and is sometimes treated the same way. I know this because a friend ours has it. It's extremely aggressive and no research is out on it..well..not much at any rate because it's so rare. And it's difficult to catch it early so it usually has spread by the time the patient knows he has it. So, this would be an area that needs to be looked into.

NoH8

I see no danger in cancer being socially acceptable.  Not long ago people wouldn't say the word, they called in C. There was so much fear and shame in cancer people went untreated and died without ever telling their doctors. Doctors are looking at cancer as a chronic condition. Of course people still die from it, but death rates are down considerably. I don';t see any complacency in the fight against cancer, just realization that there are other diseases that kill like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity etc. etc. etc.

Ravedeb, are you talking about bc not being discussed in religious circles in the USA or in middle eastern countries? I haven't heard of that in the USA, I agree with you that breast cancer gets a lot of funding because of strong advocacy and marketing. I think Nancy Brinker, who started the Susan G. Komen race for the cure for her sister had a lot to do with that.

iodine

As one much older than most of you, I can affirm that the"Big C" was INDEED not discussed.  There was a deep stigma with getting the diagnosis and families lied about what caused a person's death or hospitalizations. 

Betty Ford, bless her, did come out with having bc and it was the first time, I believe, those words were ever printed in a daily newspaper.

Even as a young student nurse in the early '60's, we called it the Big C and did so in a whisper.

I only found out last year that a great aunt of mine had bc,. It simply was NOT discussed, as were any thing having to do with "private parts".

The US was as bad as Middle Eastern countries when it came to women's medicine.  We have come a long way since the 60's in many ways, thank goodness.