Information For
- Attendees
- Exhibitors
- Nurses
- Social Workers
- Speakers
Pre-Conference Events
- NEW THIS YEAR!
An Evening for Couples Coping with Cancer
- Women with Stage IV Breast Cancer
VCC Walking Tour
- VCC Walking Tour
Survive & Thrive Profiles
- Survive & Thrive Profiles
Share Your Story
- Share Your Story
Links
- Vermont Cancer Center
- University of Vermont
- Fletcher Allen Health Care
- VT/NH Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure
- Ladies First
- American Cancer Society
Contact Us
Questions about this year's conference? Call 802-656-2292.
Accessibility for People with Disabilities
While the Breast Cancer Conference is accessible to people with disabilities, please note that there are significant distances between some of the sessions at the event. We regret that we are unable to provide assistants to help individuals travel throughout the premises. You are welcome, however, to have someone of your choosing accompany you in this capacity to the conference and ask only that your assistant register for the event as well.
Conference Disclaimer
Regarding written materials and information received, written or otherwise, during the Vermont Cancer Center Breast Cancer Conference and regarding information that may be displayed or distributed from conference exhibitors: The scientific views, statements and recommendations expressed during this program represent those of the speakers and exhibitors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Vermont Cancer Center, the University of Vermont or Fletcher Allen Health Care.
Welcome
Patti O'Brien, MD and Hyman Muss, MD, Conference Co-Chairs
We are very pleased to serve as co-chairs for the 11th Annual Breast Cancer Conference. As we have done each fall, we will celebrate patients, survivors and their caregivers, families, friends and loved ones with a day-long series of workshops, lectures, seminars and activities that we hope will inform, affirm, engage and inspire each of the attendees on their personal journey to "Survive and Thrive."
Look up "thrive" in the dictionary and you'll find it defined as to grow well, to do well and to be successful — goals you'd expect to find on life's "To Do" list. Yet for many of those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer, "thrive" and "survive" can jockey for position at the top of that list. Each year at the Breast Cancer Conference, our primary purpose is to come together and share strategies for success at both surviving and thriving. Within this booklet, in fact, are several brief stories of people from our region who are doing this very thing — in their own special way. They are but a sample of the countless survivors who are living with great exuberance in our community.
At the first conference in 1997, our goal was to provide basic breast cancer education for the general public. Since then, we have expanded the educational goals to be as inclusive as possible, to reach the broadest audience, and to provide quality information that can help shape decision-making about breast health issues from both a public and provider perspective. Our goal is to ensure that you can find the information, expertise and support you need, no matter where you are on your journey.
However, the most valuable lessons we have learned over the last eleven years have been from you, and all of us at the Vermont Cancer Center are truly thankful to be part of this incredible community. We hope you will find much of value to take away from this year's event, renewing old connections and making new ones as you navigate the path to "Survive and Thrive."
Download the 2008 Breast Cancer Conference Program
Quick Facts
- The conference opens at 8:00 am with over 60 exhibits in the Exhibit Hall
- Sessions begin at 9:00 am and end at 4:00 PM
- The sessions and exhibits are free due to the generous support of The Vermont-New Hampshire Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation
Breast Cancer Facts
- Breast cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among women.
- In Vermont, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women. Each year, in Vermont, approximately 482 breast cancer cases are diagnosed in women.
- While an estimated 40,460 women and 450 men will die from breast cancer in 2007, death rates from breast cancer have steadily declined over the past decade.
- Nearly 90% of women diagnosed with breast cancer will survive their disease at least 5 years.
- A woman's chance of developing breast cancer increases with age. In the United States, a woman has about a 13.2 percent, or 1 in 8, lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
- Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among Vermont women. Each year in Vermont, approximately 96 women die from breast cancer.
- From 2000-2004, the median age at diagnosis for cancer of the breast was 61 years of age.
- Breast cancer incidence rates for women in Addison and Chittenden Counties are significantly higher than the U.S.
- Your best chance for surviving breast cancer is detecting it early. When found early, there is a 96% chance for cure.
- 95% of new cases and 98% of breast cancer deaths reported during 1996-2002 occurred in women ages 40 and older.
- Women in their 40s and older should have mammograms every 1 to 2 years. Women who are younger than 40 and have risk factors for breast cancer should ask their health care provider whether to have mammograms and how often to have them.
- For the first time in 20 years, there is a significant decline in the number of U.S. women over the age of 40 who get a regular mammogram to screen for breast cancer. According to a study by the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the overall rate at which women are having mammograms fell four percent between 2000 and 2005.
- Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) followed by local radiation therapy has replaced mastectomy as the preferred surgical approach for treating women with early stage breast cancer.
- In Vermont, 65% of breast cancers are diagnosed at the localized (early) stage.
- Approximately 5 to 10% of breast cancers are due to heredity. The majority of women with breast cancer have no known significant family history or other known risk factors.