Breast Cancer
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On May 17, 2005 it was reported that Minogue had been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, and would receive medical treatment in Melbourne. The remainder of her Showgirl, The Greatest Hits world tour was postponed and she withdrew from a participating at the Glastonbury Festival. The announcement of Minogue's cancer diagnosis resulted in a brief but intense period of media coverage, particularly in Australia where it was the lead news story of the day. As media and fans began to congregate outside the Minogue residence in Melbourne, the Victorian Premier Steve Bracks stated to the international media, that any disruption to the Minogue family's rights as Australians would not be tolerated. Minogue underwent surgery on May 21. Friends such as Olivia Newton-John, herself a survivor of breast cancer, urged the media and fans to respect Minogue's privacy. However, it was only after it was announced that the surgery had been successful that the intense scrutiny of the situation began to diminish. In the days following her surgery, it was reported that Minogue had commenced radiotherapy as part of her treatment regimen. Minogue made a public 'thank you' statement, and urged fans 'not to worry'. She later added that further treatment was to be pursued in Europe. On July 8, 2005, she made her first public appearance since her surgery, when she visited a children's cancer ward at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital. Kylie then returned to France where she completed her chemotherapy treatment at the Institute Gustave-Roussy in Villejuif, near Paris In November 2005 Minogue's tour management in Australia announced that she will continue her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour in late 2006. It was reported in The Times Online in January, 2006 that Minogue had completed her chemotherapy treatment however it also noted that her publicists were unwilling to speculate on its apparent success, as Minogue required a further six months of radiotherapy to prevent a recurrence of tumours ABOUT BREAST CANCER Breast cancer is cancer of breast tissue. Worldwide, it is the most common form of cancer in females, affecting approximately 10% of all women at some stage of their life in the Western world. Breast self-examination or BSE BSE is a useful screening tool, particularly in women who have a family history of breast cancer. If performed appropriately and regularly it can help in early detection of some types of breast cancers. The method involves trying to feel breasts for possible distortions or swelling. The steps involved in self exam are: Stand in front of a mirror with top exposed. Place hands on hips. Look for signs of dimpling, swelling, soreness or redness in all parts of your breasts in the mirror. Repeat with arms raised above your head. While still standing, palpate your breasts with your fingers, feeling for lumps. Try to use a larger area of your fingers rather than prodding. Feel both for the area just beneath the skin and for the tissue deeper within. Go over the entire breast while examining - a useful method is to divide the breast into quadrants and go through each quadrant carefully. Also examine the "axillary tail" of each breast that points towards the axilla (armpit). Repeat palpation while lying down. Check the nipples and the area just beneath them. Gently squeeze each nipple to check for any discharge. For premenopausal women, BSE is best done at the same stage of their period every month to minimize changes due to the menstrual cycle - the recommended time is just following the end of the last period when the breasts are least likely to be swollen and tender. Older, menopausal women should do BSE once a month, perhaps on the first or last day of every month. About eight in ten lumps discovered on BSE are harmless. Nevertheless, any abnormality thus detected should immediately be reported to a doctor. Though most breast cancers are detected by women, BSE should be combined with an annual examination by a doctor for better chances of detection. Women can easily miss a breast lump that an expert can find. For the same reasons it is better to learn BSE from an expert. It is not a replacement for more trustworthy techniques like mammography. Note: consult a trustworthy site such as www.breastcancer.org for more complete and up-to-date information. KYLIE MINOGUE Warning: mysql_connect() [function.mysql-connect]: Host 'server.full-effect.com' is not allowed to connect to this MySQL server in /home/kylemino/public_html/Breast_Cancer.php on line 181 cant connect | |