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Jaclyn Smith on Breast Cancer
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By Alex Cukan
UPI Health Correspondent
ALBANY, N.Y., July 10 (UPI) — Actress and businesswoman Jaclyn Smith says she considers herself knowledgeable, she pays attention to the news and she's won awards for her work in promoting cancer awareness, but she was shocked to find that the top breast cancer risk factor was age.
"I thought I knew most of the facts about cancer, I volunteered for the John Wayne Cancer Institute and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, I'm well informed and I thought I knew everything out there, but I did not know that getting older and being female is the top risk factor for breast cancer," Smith told UPI's Caregiving.
"It's 80 percent of the cases and that's kind of shocking because many think family history is the risk factor to worry about, but being female and being older with no family history is the largest risk factor, so that's why it is so important to get tested and have a mammograms each year."
Smith is working with "Strength in Knowing: Breast Cancer Facts and Fiction" to help educate women 55 and older about breast cancer risk factors including age, family history and personal history.
To help educate women about breast cancer risk factors, Strength in Knowing is hosting a series of events for women nationwide where attendees will have the opportunity to hear from Smith about her own experience with breast cancer as well as Susan Wysocki, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women's Health, and Margaret C. Kirk, chief executive officer of the National Breast Cancer Organization.
The first event is Thursday at The St. Regis in New York City, followed by Seattle, Aug. 9; Chicago Sept. 5; San Francisco, Sept. 27 and Washington, Oct. 23. Information concerning these events is available via the website strengthinknowing.com.
Each event will feature an interactive discussion with experts and an opportunity to ask questions related to breast cancer risk factors.
Smith recently finished the first season on the reality show "Shear Genius" on Bravo, but she is probably better known for her breakout role as Kelly Garrett in the television series "Charlie's Angels" (1976-1981) as well as a truckload of TV mini-series and movies such as "Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy."
"When I was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago it was a shock, I felt so healthy, I had no family history, I was in shock for the first few weeks," Smith said. "But then I started going though all the information and learning more, my husband is a doctor and he explained a lot, but it's pretty complex and you need to go to a doctor to deal with your specific needs."
Seventy-six percent of women in a recent survey by GfK Roper Public Affairs for CancerCare said they know at least a fair amount about breast cancer, and nearly all respondents were aware of chemotherapy and radiation. However, fewer than one in four had heard of newer therapies such as aromatase inhibitors or monoclonal antibodies.
CancerCare recommends that women consider the following questions to better prepare them should they face a breast cancer diagnosis:
- What kind of breast cancer do I have?
- Which treatments are available to me?
- What are the risks and benefits of those treatments?
- What is my risk that my breast cancer will come back and/or spread to another part of my body?
- Where do I go for support when I need it?
Smith said her family reacted differently to the news.
Dr. Larry Lachman, a licensed clinical psychologist at Chapman University in Monterey, Calif., and a cancer survivor who treats cancer survivors and leads cancer support groups, says that people react to a cancer diagnosis differently -- some take the Ronald Reagan approach and say if I had cancer it's all taken out and I'm fine now, while others take an approach to find out everything they can to research the disease -- both are ways of coping.
"My son, he took the Reagan approach and said, 'It's out and taken care of,' but my daughter has some sleepless nights and had some trouble adjusting, my family was emotional and at one point I wanted to get through the treatment and not tell the world," Smith said.
"But the news got out and what was really helpful was the help and support of my girlfriends -- since then I have been connecting with other women who have been through this or going through it and it makes me feel good to help and share with a new friend and to help give back -- it's made me more connected.
"An illness like this is so personal -- you need a good healthcare provider, you need a support network and you need to read up on some of this on your own -- I had my mother, a supportive family, but women with breast cancer need support, and a good place to get it is through Strength in Knowing at strengthinknowing.com."
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(Alex Cukan is an award-winning journalist, but she has also been a caregiver since she was a teenager. UPI welcomes comments and questions about this column.)
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