Leading breast cancer physician urges women to ‘take charge’

Nationally known medical oncologist and author Dr. Julie Gralow of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance acknowledges that women have a couple of things working against them in avoiding breast cancer: Gender and age.

“We just can’t do much about either of those,” she said of the top two risk factors for breast cancer.

However, the Director of Breast Medical Oncology at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and professor in the oncology division of the University of Washington School of Medicine, urged the 150 attendees of Skagit Valley Hospital’s Women’s Health Luncheon to take control of the things they can influence.

“Take charge of the factors over which you have control,” she told the February gathering at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon. “Lifestyle choices, this is an area we can change.”

Dr. Gralow’s presentation coincides with the official launch of The Breast Institute at Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center, a multidisciplinary program for patients with a new diagnosis of breast cancer; to offer wellness surveillance visits for breast cancer survivors; and to focus on education for our community in all aspects of breast health to include prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship.

Dr. Gralow is an advocate of education, good nutrition, positive attitude and exercise, co-authoring a book on the relationship between breast cancer and exercise as a way to enhance quality of life during and following treatment.

During the presentation, she cited a study that shows 2.5 hours of exercise per week brings an 18 percent decrease in the risk of breast cancer.

“Now, most of us think we get more exercise than we actually do,” she said. “But I bet everybody here could get 2.5 hours of walking in a week.”

Maintaining a healthy diet and weight along with moderation in alcohol consumption are all lifestyle changes that can reduce the risk of breast cancer.

“Overweight women are twice as likely to die from breast cancer,” she said, noting obesity in Washington state has risen from less than 10 percent in 1991 to more than 20 percent in 2002.

Vitamin D may also play a positive role and may be protective against some cancers, including breast cancer, she said.

“There is no reason not to have an appropriate Vitamin D level,” she said.

Breast cancer is number one for incidence and number two in deaths among cancers in women while lung cancer is the number two for incidence and the top killer.

Overall, 70 to 80 percent of breast cancer cases are “sporadic” while 15 to 30 percent are in family clusters and 5 to 10 percent involve heredity, she said.

She encourages women to stick with the American Cancer Society’s recommendation that starting at age 40, women should get an annual breast examination and screening mammogram.

Skagit Valley Hospital is a network member of Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a partnership between Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s.