Health Expert Phyllis Johnson shares health management news and commentary at HealthCentral.com. HealthCentral.com is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/9692/index http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/9692/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/profiles/c/9692/index http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/160720/silver-cancer-survivor Sun, 05 May 2013 08:12:13 -0400 Phyllis Johnson Anya Silver has been an inspiration to me since I first got to know her on-line when she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer.  In the support groups we are members of, she shares her experiences with courage, humor, and honesty.  You may have also met her and her husband Andrew in a HealthCentral video about finding out she had inflammatory breast cancer while she was pregnant.   She is also a poet whose book The... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/160720/silver-cancer-survivor http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/160538/targeted-therapies-her2 Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:26:10 -0400 Phyllis Johnson In 1985 scientists discovered a gene that makes cells produce too much of a protein called human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2) and found that this gene was associated with aggressive breast cancer tumors.  Thirteen years later in 1998, the FDA approved a new drug called trastuzumab (Herceptin) for people whose breast cancers overexpressed the Her2 protein.  Herceptin was a miracle drug for the 20-25 per cent subset of... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/160538/targeted-therapies-her2 http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/160454/day-diagnosis Mon, 22 Apr 2013 06:43:27 -0400 Phyllis Johnson What is the day of diagnosis?  The day the doctor scheduled a biopsy, the day the pathology report comes back?  In my case, the process was spread out over several days.  The preliminary report for my April 12 biopsy came back that everything was OK. Then on my 50th birthday, April 20, 1998, I found out that the pathologists discovered two small areas of suspicious cells that they couldn't diagnose, so they had sent the slides... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/160454/day-diagnosis http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/160032/negative-reassuring Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:27:38 -0400 Phyllis Johnson As awareness of triple negative breast cancer has grown, so has the fear associated with it.  Women whose tumors are hormone receptor positive can take follow-up drugs like tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors after initial treatment.  If the tumor is Her2neu positive, they receive targeted therapies like Herceptin.  So part of the fear related to triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is that once the initial treatment is over, a... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/160032/negative-reassuring http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/159145/attention Sat, 16 Feb 2013 08:36:04 -0500 Phyllis Johnson Before I had cancer, my major health concern was heart disease.  All four of my grandparents died of heart failure.  My father was still in his 60’s when he had a heart attack and by-pass surgery.   My annual physical exams with my doctor focused on what I needed to do to keep my heart healthy.  Cancer was the least of my worries.  After all, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/159145/attention http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/158924/advances Sun, 03 Feb 2013 09:52:20 -0500 Phyllis Johnson Honeybee silk, virtual thermometer, ebola virus deconstruction?  What happened?  I clicked on a link to an article that promised to tell me about using Vitamin D to treat inflammatory breast cancer.  Had I stumbled on a website filled with quack treatment promises?   More careful reading revealed that I was on a website devoted to nanotechnology news and reading an article announcing the Biophysical Society Conference... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/158924/advances http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/158875/surgery Thu, 31 Jan 2013 06:43:22 -0500 Phyllis Johnson Sometimes plans change.  I have been following the recent news about a study from Duke University that a lumpectomy with radiation might actually be more effective than a mastectomy in preventing breast cancer recurrence.  The previous evidence suggested the two procedures were about the same, so women have been making their choice between these two procedures based mainly on personal preference for quite a few years now.   PJ... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/158875/surgery http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/158620/trial Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:55:17 -0500 Phyllis Johnson How does your doctor know how much radiation to use in your CT scan?  For that matter, how does your doctor know how well any medicine or procedure works?  The answer is someone has worked it out in a clinical trial.   When I went for my most recent CT scan, the doctor asked if I would participate in a study to see if there is a better way to determine how much radiation and contrast solution each patient receives. ... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/158620/trial http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/157500/88-lifetime Tue, 27 Nov 2012 05:30:24 -0500 Phyllis Johnson My mother died recently at age 91 of a stroke.  Although arthritis slowed her down in her later years, she still lived an active, independent life.     We hear so much about the 1 in 8 women who will get breast cancer in their lifetimes.  That 12% number looms large in many women’s minds.  Fear of getting breast cancer paralyzes these women.  In some cases, their chances of getting breast cancer are greater... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/157500/88-lifetime http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/156958/idiopathic Sun, 04 Nov 2012 07:23:15 -0500 Phyllis Johnson “I have been having several strange symptoms (insert list here).  What can it be?”  Every week this web site gets variations on this question.   Here at the HealthCentral Breast Cancer site, Health Guides, such as PJ Hamel and myself, are not medical professionals.  We are well-read breast cancer survivors who share what we are learning about breast cancer in shareposts and who answer questions that come into... http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/9692/156958/idiopathic