Dr Susan Love

Beverly Howey and her identical twin sister, Karen Duncan-Sherman, each found a breast lump in 2007. Howey's was cancer. Duncan-Sherman's was benign. The two women, now 45, couldn't have more similar genetics, and they live in the same place, Wall, N.J. Why did one develop cancer and not the other? Such questions have plagued breast cancer researchers for decades. Inherited genetic mutations, such as those in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, make up only 5% to 10% of breast cancers. And though there's a clear link between a woman's natural estrogen exposure and her breast cancer risk, there's no magic level that equals cancer.

In the wake of Tuesday's announcement that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure will be ending grants for breast cancer screening and other breast-health services to Planned Parenthood, other women's health organizations have decried the move, calling it politically motivated and linking it to the abortion debate.  "Pro-life should mean not just the lives of babies, but also the lives of women! This is not an either or situation," according to a statement released by the Doctor Susan Love Research Foundation, a Santa Monica-based breast-cancer research organization.

First I cried, second I got angry and third I did something. I cried because my wife died of breast cancer, I got angry because of her treatment options--surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, or to quote Dr. Susan Love, "slash, burn and poison." I did something by joining a group of remarkable women, the Los Angeles Breast Cancer Alliance. These women are dedicated to the eradication of this scourge. It is ironic that the headline on an editorial (Oct. 5) was "Living Legacy," which was the theme of the "2nd Annual War Mammorial Exhibit" held at the Federal Building Oct. 1-2. It was a moving, exhilarating experience to join together with caring individuals that are committed to ending this epidemic.

October may be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Dr. Susan Love said Saturday that she's had enough of it. "We are stuck in awareness," the esteemed breast cancer surgeon said as part of "Conversations on Beauty, Health & Wellness," the daylong event sponsored by LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine. But "breast cancer does not have to go on to another generation," she told the crowd at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. "We can be the generation that stops it. " That will require a change in the way breast cancer research is conducted, she said.

Applause to Dr. Susan Love, Fran Visco, Col. Irene Rich and Dr. Larry Norton for their untiring efforts in aiding the progress of breast cancer research ("The Enemy Within," by Karen Stabiner, Nov. 5). However, we need to also look at the "alternative" healing methods if we are to make any progress against this gruesome disease. After all, as Hippocrates said, "Science is long; life is short." In 1990, my doctor found I had breast and uterine cancer. I chose to use myself as a human experiment to see if I could get well by supporting my immune and healing systems using entirely inexpensive, natural means such as diet, exercise, visualization, meditation and group therapy, methods I describe in "Keep Your Breasts"; Preventing Breast Cancer the Natural Way."

In the wake of Tuesday's announcement that the Susan G. Komen for the Cure will be ending grants for breast cancer screening and other breast-health services to Planned Parenthood, other women's health organizations have decried the move, calling it politically motivated and linking it to the abortion debate.  "Pro-life should mean not just the lives of babies, but also the lives of women! This is not an either or situation," according to a statement released by the Doctor Susan Love Research Foundation, a Santa Monica-based breast-cancer research organization.

October may be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but Dr. Susan Love said Saturday that she's had enough of it. "We are stuck in awareness," the esteemed breast cancer surgeon said as part of "Conversations on Beauty, Health & Wellness," the daylong event sponsored by LA, Los Angeles Times Magazine. But "breast cancer does not have to go on to another generation," she told the crowd at the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. "We can be the generation that stops it. " That will require a change in the way breast cancer research is conducted, she said.

Ending a year-and-a-half nationwide search to replace well-known surgeon and patient advocate Dr. Susan Love, the Revlon/UCLA Breast Center announced Wednesday that its new director is Dr. Helena Chang, a researcher and cancer surgeon from Brown University in Providence, R.I. Chang, 48, who has a doctorate in immunology in addition to her medical degree, was one of more than 50 applicants who sought to run the breast center, which treats 3,900 women a year.

Beverly Howey and her identical twin sister, Karen Duncan-Sherman, each found a breast lump in 2007. Howey's was cancer. Duncan-Sherman's was benign. The two women, now 45, couldn't have more similar genetics, and they live in the same place, Wall, N.J. Why did one develop cancer and not the other? Such questions have plagued breast cancer researchers for decades. Inherited genetic mutations, such as those in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, make up only 5% to 10% of breast cancers. And though there's a clear link between a woman's natural estrogen exposure and her breast cancer risk, there's no magic level that equals cancer.

Thursday, 8:10 a.m.: Lucy Johnson's family is gathered around her bed outside Operating Room 2 at UCLA Hospital. In less than an hour, she will undergo major breast cancer surgery--lumpectomies on both breasts and the removal of several lymph nodes. Johnson, 71, smiles at her husband, son and daughter-in-law as they talk in quiet, reassuring tones. But when she speaks, she starts to cry. "I never thought this would happen to me," Johnson says, her voice quivering.

Beverly Howey and her identical twin sister, Karen Duncan-Sherman, each found a breast lump in 2007. Howey's was cancer. Duncan-Sherman's was benign. The two women, now 45, couldn't have more similar genetics, and they live in the same place, Wall, N.J. Why did one develop cancer and not the other? Such questions have plagued breast cancer researchers for decades. Inherited genetic mutations, such as those in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, make up only 5% to 10% of breast cancers. And though there's a clear link between a woman's natural estrogen exposure and her breast cancer risk, there's no magic level that equals cancer.

Beverly Howey and her identical twin sister, Karen Duncan-Sherman, each found a breast lump in 2007. Howey's was cancer. Duncan-Sherman's was benign. The two women, now 45, couldn't have more similar genetics, and they live in the same place, Wall, N.J. Why did one develop cancer and not the other? Such questions have plagued breast cancer researchers for decades. Inherited genetic mutations, such as those in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, make up only 5% to 10% of breast cancers. And though there's a clear link between a woman's natural estrogen exposure and her breast cancer risk, there's no magic level that equals cancer.

Re "The cure for what we don't know," Opinion, Nov. 27 Dr. Susan Love and Sue Rochman's outstanding commentary omitted one essential fact. And that is that breast cancer, like colon cancer and some other cancers, has a family link. There is an increased risk of breast cancer in women whose close relatives (mothers, sisters) had breast cancer. This is important because those women should be especially alert. In families with increased risk of breast cancer, genetic counselors are available at most major medical centers who can help evaluate individual risk and discuss strategies to possibly reduce that risk.

Ending a year-and-a-half nationwide search to replace well-known surgeon and patient advocate Dr. Susan Love, the Revlon/UCLA Breast Center announced Wednesday that its new director is Dr. Helena Chang, a researcher and cancer surgeon from Brown University in Providence, R.I. Chang, 48, who has a doctorate in immunology in addition to her medical degree, was one of more than 50 applicants who sought to run the breast center, which treats 3,900 women a year.

Dr. Susan Love, famed breast cancer surgeon, author and advocate for women's health, is quitting patient care and resigning from the Revlon/UCLA Breast Center, which she brought to national prominence in four years as founding director. "I have been caring for patients for almost 20 years and personally feel the need for a break in order to pursue other activities," she said in a letter sent to 4,000 patients. Her last day on the job will be May 15, she said in an interview.

First I cried, second I got angry and third I did something. I cried because my wife died of breast cancer, I got angry because of her treatment options--surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, or to quote Dr. Susan Love, "slash, burn and poison." I did something by joining a group of remarkable women, the Los Angeles Breast Cancer Alliance. These women are dedicated to the eradication of this scourge. It is ironic that the headline on an editorial (Oct. 5) was "Living Legacy," which was the theme of the "2nd Annual War Mammorial Exhibit" held at the Federal Building Oct. 1-2. It was a moving, exhilarating experience to join together with caring individuals that are committed to ending this epidemic.