jueves, 27 de octubre de 2016

A decade of progress in Women’s health, cancer research | Health.mil

A decade of progress in Women’s health, cancer research | Health.mil

Health.mil

A decade of progress in Women’s health, cancer research

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Denise Thigpen, director, Breast Imaging Center at the Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed Bethesda, reads two mammograms of a patient. (Courtesy photo)

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Denise Thigpen, director, Breast Imaging Center at the Murtha Cancer Center at Walter Reed Bethesda, reads two mammograms of a patient. (Courtesy photo)



DRamatic strides have been made in cancer treatments for women during the past 10 years, and the most promising solutions lie ahead. Even the traditional approaches of chemotherapy and radiation are being fine-tuned, with more emphasis placed on surgical solutions.
A recent breakthrough has been the Cancer Genome Atlas, according to Army Col. Craig Shriver, director of the John P. Murtha Cancer Center at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. In this project, Shriver and his colleagues worked with the National Institutes of Health’s National Cancer Institute on breast genome sequencing. They learned through clinical trials that cancers in the breast and ovaries, while genetically driven, are the same; they just occur in different parts of the body. This enabled researchers to use chemotherapy agents typically used for ovarian cancer to treat patients with breast cancer, and get results.
“These findings have been very helpful in how we treat patients with breast cancer,” he said. “With this just being a ‘first-step’, we need to look further at the genetics of the cancers, and better harness the treatments for cancers that are occurring in other organs with cross-platform testing,” said Shriver.
Moving forward, Dr. Priya Bhandarkar, a radiologist at the Murtha Cancer Center, sees more collaborative efforts among investigators in the fields of functional imaging, molecular biology and pathology to better detect disease in women at the cellular and molecular levels.
“This research could create clinical tools for detecting cancer earlier, and more accurately quantifying the extent of disease,” she said. “Being able to do this, and noninvasively evaluate lymph node involvement, may move the dial in terms of finding better ways to treat cancer in women.”
This and other noteworthy discoveries have taken place in the past 10 years in the areas of women’s health and cancer research. Among these is the development of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine that is highly effective in treating cervical cancer and cancers of the head and neck. “If fully utilized, this has the potential to prevent 40,000 cases of cervical cancer per year in the United States,” said Shriver. “Now it’s just a matter of getting buy-in from parents and communities to make the vaccine more widely used by adolescents and young adults.”
One of the big curative components in the past decade or so, he said, is surgery for cancer. “There hasn’t been a lot of research in this, because many used to think surgery wasn’t an effective form of treatment. But what we’ve learned as it relates to ovarian cancer is that the experience of the surgeon, and the surgery performed, really make a difference.”
Shriver said that, surprisingly, after decades of research, it remains unclear as to how often a woman should get a mammogram. “The American Cancer Society recommends annual mammograms for women starting at age 45 and every other year for women 55 and older,” he said. “Patients are encouraged to speak to their physician about breast cancer screening and personal risk factors.”


Women face unique challenges when getting a prosthesis

Article
10/21/2016
Army Spc. Cherdale Allen shows off two of her prosthetic legs: one for walking and the other for high heels.
For military women who have to get a prosthesis, there are considerations unique to them. Among them are a more natural look and a prosthesis that works with traditional women’s fashions.
Related Topics:Women's HealthWarrior CarePhysical DisabilityExtremities Loss

Navy Medicine is prepared to care for women at sea

Article
10/17/2016
Navy Medicine treats and prevents women’s health issues around the world, including ships at sea, using innovative technology and research. The fleet ensures that its ships are equipped to support basic women’s health needs. While the depth of resources depends on the size and mission of each ship, all are equipped with emergency and routine birth control options, basic testing for sexually transmitted infections, equipment for well-woman exams and sick call examinations, and most importantly a professionally trained medical provider. (U.S. Navy photo)
Navy Medicine treats and prevents women’s health issues around the world, including at sea, using innovative technology and research
Related Topics:Health ReadinessWomen's Health

Army Medicine fights cancer with advanced treatments

Article
10/13/2016
Early detection of the breast cancer can provide early treatment for the service member and or their beneficiaries. For those women diagnosed with localized (Stage 1) breast cancer there is a more than 98 percent probability that they will survive five or more years. (U.S. Air Force photo by L.A. Shively)
Army Medicine is diagnosing and treating service members with cancer using state-of-the-art techniques and tools that many civilian hospitals can't provide
Related Topics:Women's HealthMilitary Hospitals and Clinics

Total Body Circuit

Video
10/13/2016
Total Body Circuit
Get a total body workout in 15 minutes! Do each of these exercises for 1 minute for 3 rounds.
Related Topics:Women's HealthHuman Performance Resource Center

Bodyweight Circuit

Video
10/13/2016
Bodyweight Circuit
Get a great workout just using your own body weight in 12 minutes! Do each exercise for 1 minute for 3 rounds.
Related Topics:Women's HealthHuman Performance Resource Center

Women’s health essential to force readiness

Article
10/11/2016
Women with a U.S. Marine Female Engagement Team operating in Europe demonstrated their capabilities in Marine Corps martial arts, non-lethal weapons, foreign weapons handling and combat lifesaving to Romanian and U.S.  Women comprise more than 27 percent of U.S. Marine Corps and Navy personnel, making women’s health essential to force readiness. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Michelle Reif)
Women comprise more than 16 percent of U.S. Navy, and 6 percent of Marine Corps personnel respectively
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Office of Naval Research developing new ways to protect injured limbs

Article
10/6/2016
Office of Naval Research Logo
The Office of Naval Research is sponsoring work to develop a breakthrough medical wrap, that will not only cover injured limbs, but also mitigate damage and protect tissue for up to three days
Related Topics:Research and InnovationMedical Research and Development

What the experts want you to know about the HPV vaccine

Article
10/6/2016
About 80 million people are infected with HPV right now in the United States. Vaccines are currently available for both males and females to help prevent the virus, which can be linked to various cancers, such as cervical cancer. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin W. Stratton)
HPV is a virus that can be linked to a range of health issues, including cervical cancer. Immunization experts are encouraging people to learn more about the vaccines that help prevent this often undetected virus
Related Topics:Women's HealthChildren's HealthImmunizationsImmunization Healthcare

Raise your awareness of breast cancer

Article
10/5/2016
Navy Lt. Cmdr. Erik Ramey, reviews a patient’s x-ray as part of a routine screening mammogram. A mammogram can often detect breast cancer long before it can be felt and usually years before physical symptoms appear. If detected early, breast cancer treatment can be less invasive and more successful.  (DoD photo illustration)
It's important women, and men, regularly check for lumps or abnormalities around their breasts
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Women can maintain good health with Well Woman visits

Article
10/3/2016
Navy Hospitalman Recruit Joseph Hinson, of Naval Branch Health Clinic Jacksonville, takes vital signs of Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Airman Krista Leandry during a physical exam. One of the most important things women can do to maintain good health is schedule an annual Well Woman visit with their healthcare provider. Well Woman exams help assess individual risks for women and can provide services for immunizations, contraceptives, screening for disease and counselling for sexually transmitted infections. (U.S. Navy photo by Jacob Sippel)
An annual Well Woman visit is an opportunity to detect and prevent disease
Related Topics:Preventive HealthWomen's Health

Hospital's sterile-processing techs are 'Gladiators' of patient safety

Article
9/14/2016
Army Staff Sgt. Oscar Domino (left), operating room technician, hands a sterile pack to Army Maj. Jerry Rivera-Santiago, sterile processing's officer in charge. Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center's Sterile Processing Department assembles and packs more than 400 surgical units monthly. (U.S. Army photo by Gloria Montgomery)
Sterile-processing medical technicians are the multipliers of hospital safety who clean, disinfect and sterilize the hospital and dental clinic's surgical tools
Related Topics:Health ReadinessMilitary Hospitals and ClinicsQuality and Safety of Health CarePatient Safety

Precision medicine offers individualized health care instead of “one-size-fits-all”

Article
8/23/2016
Dr. Mark Haigney discusses his views on precision medicine to researchers at the MHS Research Symposium on Aug. 17, 2016.
Precision medicine is an innovative approach that may revolutionize the way we improve health and treat diseases.
Related Topics:Medical Research and DevelopmentMHS Research SymposiumDoD/VA Sharing Initiatives

TBI milestone: Research program enrolls 15,000 participants

Article
8/19/2016
DVBIC researchers have collected long-term TBI recovery and outcomes information on veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs TBIMS program since 2008. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Miguel Lara III)
The database collects standardized recovery and outcomes data on patients with TBIs serious enough to require hospitalization
Related Topics:Traumatic Brain InjuryMedical Research and Development

MHSRS attendees discuss how to fight infectious disease

Article
8/16/2016
Dr. Merlin Robb with the U.S. Military HIV Research Program at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research addresses attendees at the Military Health System Research Symposium, Aug. 15 in Orlando, Florida. Robb was among the many researchers discussing one of the biggest threats facing the U.S. military: infectious disease.
Infectious diseases can create more casualties than any bomb or bullet on the battlefield can do. Read more about how researchers are talking about preventing and treating the infections at the Military Health System Research Symposium in Orlando.
Related Topics:MHS Research SymposiumHealth ReadinessPreventive HealthMedical Research and Development

Navy Medicine researchers find success in fighting antibiotic-resistant infections

Article
8/15/2016
A team from the Naval Medical Research Center worked in collaboration with Navy Medicine's overseas laboratories to collect phages from environmental sources around the world.
NMRC worked closely with WRAIR's Wound Infections Department to test the phage cocktails in wound infection models and demonstrate that personalized phage cocktails can treat infections
Related Topics:Medical Research and Development

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