When it comes to breast cancer, men — especially prime caregivers — are often a forgotten part of the equation.

A winner of a ZBC Honor Thy Healer: Healing Partner award, Woody Weingarten, has written a new book, "Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner's breast cancer," to remedy that situation. 

Several months ago, our colleagues at Breast Cancer Over Time (BCOT) asked us to help recruit for their study on the Impact of Chemical Exposure on the Human Breast. Like ZBC, BCOT focuses on preventing breast cancer in the next generation. They address the issue by championing and coordinating research into the environmental causes of breast cancer, while ZBC focuses on engaging communities in translating research into actionable steps that can reduce the risk of breast cancer. This study investigates the risks of chemicals in personal care products (PCPs), a topic ZBC actively addresses.

As complementary organizations, promoting BCOT’s study was an obvious decision. While sharing information about the study it, I also discovered that it was personally relevant to me. Read on to learn more about the study and my experience with it.

A new article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that breast cancer survivors who quit smoking after their diagnosis had a 33 percent lower risk of death as a result of breast cancer than those who continued to smoke.

The statistics are staggering, everyone knows of a person that has been touched by breast cancer and with all the advancements in medicine hopefully they survived. Karl Huie of Pacific Heights Cleaners climbed Mt. Shasta to create awareness for breast cancer as well as raise funds to support Zero Breast Cancer.

Genetics and Breast Cancer: Learnings From the Pathways Study and Clinical Practice

Thursday, April 25, 2024, 11 am PDT

Click here to register.

Do lifestyle and environment matter for genetic risk? How do genes impact breast cancer risk and treatment? How is genetic information used by physicians? Get these questions and more answered in our hour-long free webinar brought to you by Zero Breast Cancer and Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research.

On September 21, 2023, we hosted the webinar “People, Places, and Breast Cancer: The Pathways Study and how our communities impact survival and quality of life.” While many webinar attendees asked about how and where to get support, our speakers and panelists emphasized that systems, like our medical systems and community structures, play a large role in what is available and the quality of support during and after treatment. A major point of this forum was that resources vary by place. Where there is more money, more services are usually available. People who live in neighborhoods with others from a similar culture often feel more supported with a greater sense of community.

Research shows that our zip code can be just as important as our genetic code (DNA) in shaping our health. Where we live, work and learn affects our opportunities for physical activity, access to healthy and affordable foods, potential for social engagement and support, and exposure to stressful circumstances.

Over the last few years, misleading information has persisted on the Internet. Can PLU codes – those four- or five-digit numbers on produce stickers – really indicate whether a food is genetically modified? Not really. There are other surefire ways to avoid GMOs, and a big effort is underway to put a real red flag on genetically modified produce and packaged foods.

¡Zero Breast Cancer acaba de terminar de producir La guía de las niñas y la nueva pubertad, una traducción en español de nuestra versión en inglés de Girls’ New Puberty Eguide! Esta guía expande los mensajes en nuestra infografía y en la serie de videos de YouTube. En la página web interactiva, encontrará consejos fáciles para apoyar una pubertad saludable junto con videos, pruebas y enlaces a recursos adicionales. 

Este blog ha sido resumido de un artículo en el boletín de invierno 2019 del Estudio Pathways.

¿Has escuchado el término Chemo Brain o Quimiocerebro? Hasta la última década, cuando las mujeres informaban problemas de memoria y pensamiento durante o después de recibir tratamiento para el cáncer de mama, a menudo se las ignoraba. Ahora sabemos que el cáncer y el tratamiento del cáncer pueden causar estos cambios y se están realizando investigaciones sobre cómo ayudar a las personas que tienen quimiocerebro, también conocido como deterioro cognitivo relacionado con el cáncer (DCRC). Nos anima saber que la mayoría de nosotras recuperaremos nuestra función cerebral y que hay cosas que podemos hacer para lidiar con los problemas de memoria y pensamiento.

For the past year I have been working as the Communications Coordinator for Zero Breast Cancer from Southern Oregon. From the start, the mission statement of focusing on breast cancer prevention stood out to me as a unique perspective, as so many breast cancer organizations overlook these root causes. While I have forged strong relationships with my colleagues and an understanding of the organization from a distance, by recently attending the 16th Annual Dipsea Hike I gained a deeper sense of the wonderful work that ZBC does and the people they serve.

Research that began with the Marin Women’s Study has now been duplicated in the larger California Teachers Study, demonstrating that women who develop hypertension in pregnancy and carry a common gene variant have up to a 90% lower breast cancer risk.

“This research could contribute to understanding the key impact of pregnancy on breast cancer risk, and may help explain why some women are protected while others are not,” said lead researcher Mark Powell, MD, MPH, visiting scientist at the Buck Institute and Director of the Breast Cancer Prevention Project.

Cristine Albert is one of ZBC's champions and works tirelessly on our behalf for the Dipsea Hike and more. Working with Cristine has been such a pleasure because she is so very enthusiastic and reliable, plus witty to boot! Learn more about her below.

Anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer has had their lives changed and may have needed new ways to cope . The Covid-19 pandemic is also changing lives. Many of us dealt with wildfire smoke in the summer and the shorter winter days can be another challenge. Breast cancer survivors on the Pathways Study Community Advisory Board (CAB) decided that understanding our risk of Covid-19 and taking care of ourselves are important and timely topics for us to address.

This is the second of two parts about what we can do for our health and wellness during the Covid pandemic, from breast cancer survivors on the Pathways Study Community Advisory Board. Here they share how they cope: connecting with people; taking a break; breathing deeply, meditating or praying; asking for support; getting sleep; gratitude; and focusing on moving forward. Research has shown that all of these can help our mental and our physical health. (Check out the first part for ideas on moving our bodies and eating well.)

Shoe Stories of Sausalito, a brand new luxury shoe and bag boutique in downtown Sausalito, is generously donating 10% of their proceeds through the end of October to the Roni Peskin Mentzer Memorial Fund of Zero Breast Cancer.

We have all heard how important sleep is for our health. The stress of a cancer diagnosis and treatment on the body and mind can make sleep more difficult, yet it is important for healing. Even people whose treatment has ended commonly have trouble sleeping occasionally. For some of us, sleep can be a struggle.

Sound specialist Ian Walker of Hurricane Images
and volunteer Maritza Cárdenas record the narration for our
Girls' New Puberty tips videos in Spanish.

Zero Breast Cancer succeeds in very large part due to a dedicated cadre of volunteers, some of whom offer specialized and/or skilled pro-bono services. This month we thank and recognize 6 people who supported ZBC work in 2018 by translating, narrating, and/or reviewing new elements of our Girls’ New Puberty campaign: Chely Córdova, Frances Chiu, Hannah Barlow, Larry Chu, Maritza Cárdenas, and Perry Borders. 

While truly every day is a good day to say “I love you” to the special people in your life, Valentine’s Day is a beautiful moment where we may go the extra mile with a special gesture. With over an estimated $18 billion spent annually for the holiday nationwide, it is a wonderful opportunity to vote with your dollars and support healthier options for farmers, workers, and our loved ones who are all a part of this global love story. 

We are excited to share our suggestions for a healthy, safe, and sweet holiday!

Welcome to 2018!

Entering the new year is often a time for self reflection and new commitments to changing something about your life in order to be healthier, happier, and more at peace. For many women, a better relationship with food is something that they strive for anew on an annual basis and is challenging to resolve. 

With an eye towards integrating rather than avoiding, we want to share some easy to use techniques to tackle hunger cravings that can help make this new year one where healthy new habits are formed.