Sharsheret Presents National Symposium to Address the Effects of Hormones on Breast Cancer

Sharsheret Presents National Symposium to Address the Effects of Hormones on Breast Cancer

Hackensack, New Jersey (October 3, 2005) — Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting Jewish women facing breast cancer, will present the symposium “Hormones and Breast Cancer: Through Treatment and Beyond” on Monday, November 7, 2005 at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. The event will attract breast cancer patients and survivors, their families, and health care professionals and will be accessible nationwide via webcast. A transcript of the event will also be available to patients and health care professionals on Sharsheret’s website, www.sharsheret.org. The symposium is funded by a generous grant from the Greater New York City Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

“For young women facing breast cancer, the subject of hormones and their impact on cancer is one of increasing urgency,” says Executive Director Rochelle Shoretz. “With current research connecting hormone replacement therapy and breast cancer risk, younger women face critical concerns and decisions that Sharsheret will address at this important event.”

Hormones and Breast Cancer: Through Treatment and Beyond” will educate cancer patients, survivors, family members, and health care professionals about:

  • Staying current on new hormonal treatments for breast cancer
  • Managing side effects of estrogen deprivation in survivors
  • The impact of hormones during pregnancy on breast cancer
  • Controversy surrounding the use of hormone replacement therapy
  • Guidelines for maintaining bone strength and density
Symposium speakers will include Dr. Ruth Oratz (New York University School of Medicine), Dr. Gila Leiter (Mount Sinai Medical Center), and Shera Dubitsky, M.Ed. (Link Program Coordinator, Sharsheret).

Hormones and Breast Cancer: Through Treatment and Beyond” is Sharsheret’s fifth symposium. Previous symposia addressed the subjects of breast cancer and fertility, parenting through breast cancer, the impact of breast cancer genetics on the Jewish woman and her family, and surviving breast cancer. Sharsheret’s medical symposia are free of charge, and all symposium transcripts are available on the website www.sharsheret.org.

About Sharsheret
Since the organization’s founding in 2001, Sharsheret has received more than 7,000 phone calls from those affected by breast cancer, health care professionals, women’s organizations, Jewish organizations, and others interested in learning more about the important services Sharsheret provides nationwide.

Sharsheret has developed three core programs in response to the needs of young Jewish women facing breast cancer: The Link Program, a peer support network connecting young women newly diagnosed or at high risk of developing breast cancer with others who share similar diagnoses and experiences, Education and Outreach Programs, including health care symposia addressing the concerns of young women facing breast cancer, and Quality of Life Programs, including the Busy Box for young parents facing breast cancer, Best Face Forward to address the cosmetic side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and Embrace for women living with advanced breast cancer.

For more information about Sharsheret, symposium sponsorship, and seat reservations, please call Program Director Elana Silber toll-free at (866) 474-2774 or visit www.sharsheret.org.