Sharsheret Conference To Explore the Connection Between Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer
Teaneck, New Jersey (October 29, 2006) — Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young Jewish women facing breast cancer, will present the conference, “Breast Cancer and Ovarian Cancer: Exploring the Connection” on Wednesday, November 15, 2006 at the Sharsheret office in Teaneck, New Jersey. The event will attract breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients, their families, and health care professionals and is funded in part by a generous grant from the Northern New Jersey Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. A transcript of the conference will also be available to patients and health care professionals on Sharsheret’s website, www.sharsheret.org, after the event.
Panelists Dr. Elizabeth Poynor (Gynecological Oncologist, private practice), Dr. Noah Kauff (Geneticist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center), and Shera Dubitsky, M.Ed., M.A. (Link Program Coordinator, Sharsheret) will address the ways in which breast cancer and ovarian cancer are connected. Topics will include:
Topics will include:
*The breast cancer/ovarian cancer genetic connection
*Follow-up care and screening practices after diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer or ovarian cancer
*The psychosocial issues facing young women who have had breast cancer or ovarian cancer and fear occurrence of the other cancer
Sharsheret is coordinating the conference in response to the concerns of women who phone the organization for support. “Many women calling Sharsheret with a strong family history of breast cancer are considering genetic testing and genetic counseling,” said Elana Silber Director of Operations. “With medical research showing that alterations in the breast cancer genes are associated with an increased risk of breast cancer and ovarian cancer, Sharsheret callers face new concerns and decisions that we will address at this conference.”
About Sharsheret
Since the organization’s founding in 2001, Sharsheret has received over 10,000 phone calls from those affected by breast cancer, health care professionals, women’s organizations, Jewish organizations, and others interested in learning more about the important services Sharsheret provides nationwide.
Sharsheret has developed three core programs in response to the needs of young Jewish women facing breast cancer: The Link Program, a peer support network connecting young women newly diagnosed or at high risk of developing breast cancer with others who share similar diagnoses and experiences, Education and Outreach Programs, including health care symposia addressing the concerns of young women facing breast cancer, and Quality of Life Programs, including the Busy Box for young parents facing breast cancer, Best Face Forward to address the cosmetic side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and Embrace, a support program for women living with advanced breast cancer.
For more information and to register for the conference, please call Director of Operations Elana Silber at (866) 474-2774.