Women's Health

View “Beyond Pink” Breast Cancer Forum

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Thanks to the CT-N Connecticut Network, C-HIT’s women’s health forum —  “Beyond Pink: New Frontiers In Screening, Treating & Preventing Cancer” — is available on demand. C-HIT’s Oct. 21 forum featured a panel discussion by leading breast cancer experts: Dr. Anees Chagpar, the head of the Breast Center – Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, Dr. Kristen Zarfos, a surgeon at the Hospital of Central Connecticut, and Dr. Regina Hooley, a Yale radiologist. They were joined by U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro. To view the video, click here.

Women's Health

C-HIT, Yale Breast Center Team Up For Unique Forum, Oct. 21

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US Rep. Rosa DeLauro and leading breast cancer experts from The Breast Center-Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven and the Hospital of Central Connecticut will be the featured panelists at a unique community forum organized by the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org), a non-profit news service that provides in-depth coverage of health care issues. The forum – “Beyond The Pink Ribbon: New Frontiers In Screening, Treating and Preventing Cancer” – will focus on the latest inroads and challenges in breast cancer detection and treatment. The event is open to the public, and early registration (at www.c-hit.org) is encouraged. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit The Breast Center – Smilow Hospital and C-HIT’s ongoing health journalism. Speakers include: Dr. Anees Chagpar, director of The Breast Center – Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven, who led the effort for Yale to become the first NCI designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Northeast to have a nationally accredited breast center; Dr. Regina Hooley, a radiologist and researcher at the Yale Cancer Center who specializes in ultrasound screening, mammography and breast density; and Dr. Kristen Zarfos, a renowned surgeon and women’s health specialist at the Hospital of Central Connecticut who led a successful grassroots campaign to ban “drive-through” mastectomies in Connecticut.

Women's Health

CT Breast Density Screening Law May Set National Standard

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Nancy Cappello wants all women to receive the same opportunities for breast cancer screening that women in Connecticut have had for years. Cappello, who worked for passage of the state’s 2009 breast density notification law, has taken her cause nationally – advocating for similar legislation in every state and lobbying policymakers in Washington D.C.

Connecticut’s law — the first of its kind in the country — requires radiologists to inform women who undergo mammography if they are diagnosed with dense breast tissue, a condition known to obscure cancer detection. These “inform” reports must reference potential benefits of supplemental screening such as an MRI or ultrasound. So far, 11 states have followed Connecticut’s lead by passing similar laws. According to data collected in Connecticut, ultrasounds have detected breast cancers that mammograms missed.