European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 14, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse I breast cancer almost of epidemic proportions is photo by Dave Didina technician Check of mammography a conce detection a a ent at the an a Hospital is Sitf. Page 14 the stars and stripes by Mary Neth consumer editor every year about 50,000 women in the United states die of a disease that in mos cases could be cancer the leading cause of death for american women is almost of epidemic proportions says or. Col Thomas a. Verdon or the new head of the army Hospital in Frankfurt Verdon notes that in just one year the number of women who die from breast cancer equals the total . Vietnam War deaths. Let me put it into perspective we Are going crazy Over aids we Are pumping millions in research and we be got 100 cases Here and 1,000 cases there and Here we have a disease that is killing 50,000 women a year and no one gives a the frequency and death rates of breast cancer have remained essentially unchanged for 30 years. Before returning to the military two years ago Verdon worked at Penrose Hospital a cancer Hospital in Colorado Springs colo., where he was involved in establishment of a diagnostic breast Center. Diagnostic breast centers Are springing up All Over the United states says Verdon. Many Are in shopping centers set up so women can come in the front door with a question and go out the Back door with the everything is available from instructions on self examination to mammography and if necessary an appointment with a surgeon for further consultation Verdon whose Fields Are internal and nuclear Medicine credits the feminist movement with promotion of the centers and a revolutionary approach to the disease itself. Realizing that one out of every 10 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime they said now wait a minute. This is our disease and everything women on by Janet Staihar associated presso old feminist hands gnarled by the decade old struggle to climb the corporate ladder May have been doing it All wrong say two female authors who toil in management. But the women Don t see Eye to Eye on How to get out of a go nowhere Trench that Many Middle management women have dug themselves into. One advises quit and be your own the other says women should use their feminine intuition and teamwork to Rise in the organizational Hierarchy. Sandi Wilson s be the Boss published by Avon books tells How to Start and run a service business. Marilyn Loden s feminine leadership How to succeed in business without being one of the boys says women manage most effectively by being themselves. Wilson does t mince words. For example secret no. 1 instead of chapters she uses secrets is titled quit or get off the pot in reality Wilson 38, a Cincinnati native got fired As a 9-tb-5 copywriter from an advertising Agency in Washington . This Guy had the nerve to fire me. I had no idea Why. But he was a new creative director and i suspect he wanted his own new staff so he cleaned she then started her own and Agency with an artist Friend. In its first year 1980, the Agency grossed $68,000 and three years later it hit $350,000, she said. In her Book Wilson lists the common excuses employees make for not going to work for themselves. One of the most frequent ones is that i m indispensable at least right that Wilson brushes off by noting the huge Hole left when you take your fist out of the bucket of an identical thread running through Wilson s and Loden s books is that women who had High Hopes of going into management in the 1970s Are beginning a concerning it is being dictated by men and they Don t understand " Verdon agrees. Almost All radiologists and surgeons Are men he notes and they Are the ones who have been making the decisions on one of the first things the women began to do he says was question the options. They began asking do i need a total breast removal could i get by with just having a Lumpectomy removal of just the cancerous Lump or a simple Mastectomy " traditionally surgeons have settled on Radical Mastectomy As the accepted treatment. In this operation the surgeon removes the Lymph nodes where the cancer generally first spread Sand in doing go sacrifices the major muscle pectoral that comes across the Chest. It is a basically disfiguring operation says Verdon noting that depending on the stage of the disease there Are other possibilities. In a modified Radical Mastectomy for example the pectoral muscle is left intact. It is Aiso possible for the surgeon to perform what is essentially plastic surgery at the time he operates. A Fine incision can be made under the breast the diseased tissue removed and replaced with a Silicon implant leaving practically no sign of an operation. Most breast cancers Are discovered through self examination but Verdon says that the education process has been really reverse it is sort of be Good and if you find something we will Reward you by cutting off your As a result when a doctor asks a woman if she is checking for abnormalities she almost always will say yes. According to Verdon she probably is not she is too frightened. Breast cancer is the major killer of women. The key to cure is Early detection. We need to reverse the psychology and say hey if you find something Early enough we can offer you a very Good Chance of a cure mass exodus in the 1980s. Increasingly some of the Best and the brightest women in the corporate world Are resigning in favor of self employment and spending More time at Home writes Loden 39, one of the 2,000 plaintiffs in the historic sex discrimination suit against Mabell. Loden writes that women have their own leadership style and that they manage most effectively by being themselves and not conforming to the masculine leadership Model a dog eat dog mentality. In my own work with More than 300 male and female managers Over five years i have found that in place of the traditional organization Hierarchy where Power is concentrated at the top female leaders prefer a participative team approach to managing that permits them to share More influence with employees she writes in feminine leadership published by times books. In government Loden says transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole comes close to being a Model for feminine leadership. Dole is seen As persuasive Strong and powerful but she deals with men in a Way that in t threatening says Loden. She says that As corporate America continues to evaluate itself there is a growing recognition of the need for More people oriented skills intuitive management creative problem solving participatory leadership and a sensitivity to non verbal cues. For every sensitive collaborative interpersonally skillful male manager she says you be got 10 who Are super competitive strategic and somewhat and a woman who manages to be one of the boys she says will sooner or later go up against one of those super competitive sorts and he s not going to lose to a she says american Industry cannot afford to let the female brain Drain go unchecked and the time has come for corporations women in Middle management and other women who wish to get to the top of the Job Pyramid to acknowledge the differences Between male and female managers. And a cosmetic breast that will be acceptable to you. There Are Many ways of detection. We have mammography a Ray photo of the breast thermography a heat activated Phot Oxer radiography a special a Ray technique Biopsy in which tissue is removed for examination mammography he says is the main diagnostic Aid after self examination and particularly useful in detection of breast tissue abnormalities in older women who Are most subject to breast cancer. It is not As satisfactory a tool in younger women. Because their breasts Are very glandular it will not pick up lesions to the extent it would in a woman 50 years old Verdon explained that with Young breasts it s possible to have a significant lesion that is not detected. The report comes Back saying we can t see anything because there is a lot of stuff there. That May be interpreted As All of. Does that mean that you do not do mammography in a Young person Heck no. You just have to realize that perhaps it does not pick up everything As it would in an older Verdon said that breast ultrasound can be effective with younger breasts however it is Best in diagnosing fibr cystitis a condition causing Lumpy breasts that is common in women. This condition however does not indicate a tendency toward cancer he said. According to the american cancer society women who develop Fibre cystitis Are no More Likely to develop breast cancer than those who do not. We also have thermography which indicates hot spots that should be watched. It tells you something is wrong but not what it according to Verdon thermography which was basically developed in Europe is not highly thought of in the United states. It is very controversial you either believe in it or you Don t and i happen to be a believer. Americans have become very chauvinistic they basically ignore work done in some controversy also has surrounded the use of mammography. A lot of women Are afraid of it. Some mathematician strictly based on mathematics said that if you take All women at 21 and a Ray them every six months for the rest of their life there will be a greater Chance of producing cancer than of detecting cancer. That has led to a lot of the problems. There is a fear out there that mammography will actually cause cancer. Again times change equipment improves the current a Ray machines do not give out much for a woman to refuse mammography based on a fear of awful consequences is stupid asinine he said. The fears Are unfounded. I would have had no qualms about using a mammography on my daughter when she was just getting breasts he said. Verdon tries to talk to women who Are afraid of the process. If necessary he suggests ultrasound or thermography. Knowing that most women Don t follow through with self examination Verdon says that the american College of radiology recommends use of mammography As a woman grows older. The Basic age for starting mammography should be around 35 to 40, he notes adding that if women Are in the High risk group with a close relative who has breast cancer or have painful breasts or breasts that discharge they May need to begin earlier. How often these checks should be depends on the individual Case and the doctor s recommendations. Say you Start at the age of 35," says Verdon. I get a Mammogram on you and you Are Well and healthy and have a lot of glandular tissue. I would be just ripping you off to bring you Back every six months. On the other hand if you Are 35 and have a lot of fatty tissue and a family history of breast cancer i should be sued for malpractice if i Don t bring you Back every few he emphasized that older women should realize that mammography can detect lesions that can t be Felt. It is excellent he said. Generally it is suggested that they get a yearly checkup. Among the younger women in the military Community the main emphasis should be on breast self examination with use of mammography if there is a cause of concern a Lump blood or How to examine your breasts before a Mirror inspect breasts with arms Down and then raise arms. Look for any changes in contour swelling dimpling of skin or changes in nipples. Then rest Palms on hips and press Down firmly to flex Chest Muscles. Left and right breasts will not match exactly few women s breasts do. In the Shower with fingers Flat move gently Over every part of each breast. Use right hand to examine left breast the left hand for right breast. Check for any Lump hard knot or thickening. Lying Down with a Pillow or folded Towel under right shoulder place right hand behind head this distributes breast tissue More evenly on the Chest. With left hand and fingers Flat press gently in Small circular motions around the breast. A Ridge of firm tissue in the lower curve of each breast is Normal. Move slowly toward nipple while circling to examine every part of the breast. Repeat procedure on the left breast with a Pillow under left shoulder and left hand behind the head. Bloody should be reported to your \ doctor immediately. � Friday March 14, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 15
