Breast Cancer.  It’s a word most of us don’t spend too much time pondering about.  After all, we are busy college students with plenty of other things on our minds and problems to address.  Problems that seem significant or monumental as they occur in our little bubble world of college. Problems like:

“Oh my god, I just gained five pounds.”
“Shoot, I shouldn’t have had that extra slice of pizza last night.”
“Ugh I didn’t make the lacrosse team.”
“Grad school applications need to be in by next week? I am so screwed.”

Thoughts such as these are more of the day-to-day troubles on our minds. But breast cancer? No, not breast cancer.  Unless someone in our family is diagnosed with the disease, why should we think about such an awful, somewhat unthinkable possibility, which is so far removed from our current existence?

Well, I propose we change this lack of breast cancer contemplation. And I have good reasons for it.

Given the explosion of childhood obesity seen in our generation, health experts across the board are predicting crisis proportions of heart disease, diabetes, and you guessed it, breast cancer.  And seeing that we just rounded out National Breast Cancer Awareness month, I think it’s important to point out that the breast cancer Grim Reaper is going to plague our generation unless we take a proactive approach to keeping ourselves healthy and motivating our loved ones to do the same.

Most of my friends think that being diagnosed with breast cancer is all about being dealt an unlucky hand.  They think that no changes they make in their lifestyle will increase or decrease their odds of getting a cancer diagnosis later in life.  However, it’s so important for you all to know that this could not be farther from the truth!  Actually, lifestyle changes can be powerful prevention tools. Very powerful.  Like Superman saving Metropolis from destruction kind of powerful.  Yup, you can be your own Superman saving your own Metropolis (your body) from Lex Luthor (breast cancer).  Except this isn’t science fiction and I really am never going to meet Tom Wellings (star of Superman on the CW). Sigh.

Anyway, studies across the board show that what we eat and how much we weigh are significant contributors to whether or not we will get breast cancer.  No joke. Early studies on breast cancer found wide international variations in disease rates.  Due to such variable breast cancer incidences among countries all over the world, scientists began to wonder if diet was playing a role in the variability.  This question resulted in further studies on breast cancer, studies which have confirmed this hypothesis.

Turns out obesity is a significant risk factor for breast cancer:

* Gaining one pound per year during adulthood can double breast cancer risk after menopause.
* Obesity alone is thought to be responsible for 17% of breast cancers.
*  Countries with higher incidences of obesity, increased soft drink consumption and excessive animal protein consumption among it’s citizens have much higher rates of breast cancer than those that don’t.
* Greater consumption of vegetables during high school and college has been associated with a decreased risk of break cancer and high glycemic index foods, like white flour products and processed foods, has been associated with increased risk.

New research is showing  the strong protective effects of natural foods against breast cancer. For instance, mushrooms have anti-estrogenic activity and regular mushroom consumption is associated with a sixty percent decrease in cancer risk. Sixty percent!  Leafy green vegetables, like kale, bok choy, watercress and spinach, as well as other green vegetables, like broccoli, contain compounds shown to inhibit cancer cell growth. Cancer of all kinds!

So, in addition to wearing a pink ribbon and giving yourself monthly breast self-exams, eat plenty of vegetables, onions and mushrooms, reduce (or eliminate!) your animal product and processed foods intake, and keep on exercising and you can be your own breast cancer Superwoman.

Maureen Dolan-Galvaniz, a local film-maker and classmate of Claudia’s, heard about her previving blog and was fascinated. Wanting to not only tell the story, but spread the word about preventative options, Maureen began working on a documentary about Claudia’s journey to surgery.

Claudia has now appeared in Ladies’ Home Journal, The Today Show, and several other media outlets, spreading the message about previving. We were lucky enough to catch up with the producer/director of the webisodes, Maureen, and get a behind the scenes look into Previve.com and what previving is all about.

How did you first hear about Claudia’s decision to undergo a preventative double mastectomy?
I was out one Saturday evening with girlfriends when they started talking about this Georgetown
girl that was cutting off her breasts and blogging about it! They thought what she was doing was totally crazy – I don’t think either fully understood the BRCA mutations. I had never heard of the BRCA mutation either. I was so intrigued that I started Googling ‘Georgetown girl cuts off breasts’ when I got home. Sure enough, I came across Claudia’s blog. Claudia and I had been colleagues at Georgetown, we had taken our first documentary production class together.

Why do you think Claudia’s story needs to be told?
Because it is incredible and inspiring and touches on so many big ethical health issues. Would you want to know if you had a genetic mutation? What would you do once you found out? Should we test our children? What is life like once you know that you have an increased risk for a deadly disease? Previvors blow my mind. They are some of the most inspiring, joyous people I have ever met. For example, Claudia is so thankful that she knows that she has this genetic mutation that she doesn’t waste any time worrying about what life would be like if she didn’t. She seizes every day and doesn’t dwell on her really unfortunate mutation.

What types of information have you learned about the BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation since meeting Claudia and following her story?
Obviously, I’ve learned a ton. However, sites like Bright Pink and Force provide factual information about the mutation: that it raises the risk of breast cancer up to 85% in women with the mutation, that men can be carriers, etc. The sites are extremely helpful on top of all the medical advice we have been dealing with since beginning the documentary.

What has the response been like since the first webisode aired?
Positive and encouraging. People really like Claudia and want to see her journey unfold. They are so gracious – we get tons of people saying ‘thank you for connecting us’, ‘thank you for the work you do.’

Why do you feel the option of preventative surgery is important for women to be aware of if they have a genetic mutation like Claudia’s?
Women with BRCA have up to an 85% lifetime risk of getting breast cancer.  BRCA women have a genetic mutation in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes that belong to a class of genes known as tumor suppressors. Yes – these women are extraordinarily vulnerable to breast cancer. Vigilance is always an option for young women with BRCA – this involves mammograms, breasts exams by doctors, sometimes even MRIs.

When doctors find an unusual lump in a woman with BRCA’s breast, they are more likely to biopsy it. These biopsies can be frequent and painful. Breast cancer in a BRCA woman is also more aggressive than in a woman without the mutation. For peace of mind and to dramatically decrease your risk for breast cancer (some say less than 1%), prophylactic double mastectomy might be the best option.

Why did you, personally, want to begin this project as a young female?
I really wanted to tell this story because I thought Claudia was so courageous and inspiring. Claudia and I really connected and I thought her and I could work together to tell this story the best possible way.We have similar goals: to tell a great story and get the word out there about preventative breast cancer measures. There was a great story, right here in Washington, that needed to be told, I had access to the subject and I had the know how and resources. It seemed too great an opportunity to spread the word, while making an interesting documentary, to pass up.

Why is prevention, especially for young women, so important?
Breast cancer – cancer in general – is so devastating. If we can be vigilant, take our health into our own hands, and actually do something to avoid cancer… why wouldn’t we? Women have been having prophylactic mastectomies for a long time, but it wasn’t until recently (within the last few months) that studies have come out supporting prophylactic double mastectomies.

What message do you hope the site sends young women?
That you are responsible for your own health and that you do have options. Also, that you are not alone. We have heard from so many woman who have felt isolated because of their BRCA status. If there is anything I have learned, it is that you are not alone and the BRCA community is really a sisterhood that you can tap into and feel supported.

When will the next webisode air?
October 29th… be sure to check it out at Previve.com!



According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an estimated 182,460 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the US during 2008; about 1,990 new cases are expected in men.

Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the U.S., and is the second most common cause of death among white, black, Asian, and American Indian women. It is the leading cause of death from cancer in Hispanic women.

While most college women don’t need to worry about developing breast cancer at such a young age (we won’t face the invasion of mammograms until our 40s), there’s still plenty we can and should do to protect ourselves. A  major study released in 2006 indicated that the number of new cases of breast cancer dropped significantly in the reporting period of 2002 to 2003. After 20 years of increases, this is incredibly exciting news and most likely directly correlates to new methods of early detection and prevention.

Over the next few days, CollegeCandy will offer tips, background information and resources to spread the message about this vicious disease. Breast cancer is a scary animal. Even if you don’t have the disease (or know anyone who does), it’s normal to have questions about diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Most college women don’t even know where to begin. CollegeCandy is here to help.

Check back tomorrow for the first blog in our series!