Child diagnosed with breast cancer

[samanthajane13]

Updated: Saturday, 16 May 2009, 8:30 PM EDT
Published : Saturday, 16 May 2009, 8:28 PM EDT

* Lindsay Schwarzwaelder
* Posted by Emma Orn

(WIVB) - How could this happen? It's a question being asked over and over after a 10 year-old girl was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Despite her recent mastectomy, her attitude and strength are inspiring people. "It should be the furthest thing from your mind. 10 year olds don't get breast cancer," said Carrie Auslam.

They are words that now haunt Carrie Auslam. A lump that her daughter mistook for a bone near her rib cage was in fact a malignant tumor in one of her breasts.

One week ago, 10 year old Hannah Powell-Auslam had a masectomy.

"I was just how can this happen. I am ten. I was really shocked. I don't even think my mom has been checked for breast cancer, so for me to have it, it's shocking for her," said Hannah Powell.

Shocking because no one in the medical community initially thought it could be true that a 10 year old girl could have breast cancer.

The youngest case, the Austamms were told, was a 16 year old. In April, Hannah had a lumpectomy, when tests proved it was cancer, her left breast was completely removed. Friday, Hanna's surgeon delivered the family another huge blow. There was cancer in one lymphnode. Hannah's parents want it removed.

"I just told my mom I want to be a normal kid. I want to go back to school, play sports, hang out with my friends."

Hannah's remarkable strength has kept the family from crumbling. "I am going to set an example for all the kids in the world, that if there is something wrong with your body you tell your parents."


http://www.wivb.com/dpp/news/Child_diagnosed_with_breast_cancer_20090516

[samanthajane13]

10-Year-Old California Girl Battles Breast Cancer

At 10 years old, Hannah Powell-Auslam should be enjoying her last few weeks of fifth grade, playing with her friends without a care in the world.

Instead, the Fullerton, Calif., girl is battling stage IIA breast cancer, also known as invasive ductal carcinoma, KCAL-TV reported.

Young children and adolescents have just a 0.1 percent chance of developing breast cancer, said Dr. Cynara Coomer, a breast surgeon at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City and FOX News Health contributor. It's even rarer for a child to develop invasive ductal carcinoma, which is considered to be an adult cancer.

“Most of the cancers that adolescents would get are different, and it’s known as juvenile secreting neoplasm,” Coomer told FOXNews.com Thursday. “(Invasive ductal carcinoma) is the type we see in adults because it’s from estrogen stimulation.”

Last month, Hannah’s father Jeremy Auslam told the San Gabriel Valley Tribune in California that the situation felt “surreal.”

“We can’t be the only ones,” he told the newspaper.

Hannah was diagnosed in April after she complained of itching in her left breast and her mother noticed a lump, according to the Tribune.

Her parents took her to the doctor, and a small portion of the lump was sent away for tests. No one suspected breast cancer.

"They told me it was not breast cancer, because breast cancer does not happen to children," Hannah’s mother, Carrie Auslam, told the Tribune.

But the tests revealed otherwise: The tumor had grown around the blood vessels in Hannah’s breast.

“I didn’t really know what cancer was,” Hannah said. “I just kept crying and couldn’t stop.”

Coomer, who has not treated Hannah, said the girl’s prognosis is excellent: Her chance of a five-year disease-free survival is 85 percent.

On May 7, Hannah had a "simple left breast mastectomy," according to her Web site, OurLittleSweetPea.com.

So how did Hannah get breast cancer at such a young age?

“Usually there is a genetic disposition,” Coomer said. “That’s usually the case for young woman who develop breast cancer. She may carry the breast cancer gene.”

If she doesn’t carry the mutated BRCA gene, Coomer said there is another scenario that could have led to the diagnosis at such a young age.

When girls go through puberty and are developing breast tissue, the cells in their breasts are undergoing rapid divisions, she said.

Therefore, the cells are more likely to be damaged by cancer-causing agents and environmental exposures that can lead cells to change into cancer cells, she added.

“In regards to not creating hysteria, cancer in adolescents is small, but if you find a lump you should have it checked out,” Coomer said. “Most of the time it will be benign. And one of the ways young girls can lower their risk is for parents to promote healthy lifestyles — avoiding cigarettes and alcohol, exercising and eating a healthy diet.”


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,520190,00.html

[samanthajane13]

10-Year-Old Battles Breast Cancer

Incidents Of Breast Cancer Among Pre-Pubescent Children Are Rare But Do Occur

IMS Observations
Mothers, we encourage you to maintain an open dialog with your daughters that encourages them to share with you any unusual changes they are seeing in their bodies. This dialog is what saved Hannah's life. If you would like to get a breast screening exam for your daughter that does not use compression or x-rays and is particularly suited to young women, please learn more about Infrared Mammography.


sgvtribune.com - April 28, 2009
By Airan Scruby
Hannah is 10 years old, but she is fighting a grown-up battle.

Hannah Powell-Auslam, a fifth-grader at Escalona Elementary School, is being treated for breast cancer.

"It's very surreal," said Jeremy Auslam, Hannah's father. "We can't be the only ones."

Incidents of breast cancer among pre-pubescent children are extremely rare.

Hannah was diagnosed this month, a few weeks after her mother found a lump in her left breast. In late March, after she complained of itching, her mother took her to the bathroom to check for any problems. She immediately felt the growth.

The family quickly made an appointment to have it examined and Hannah had surgery to remove part of the mass in early April.

Not all of the tumor was removed, because it had advanced into breast tissue that would not grow normally in adulthood if it was damaged. The portion that was removed was sent for tests, but doctors reassured the family.

"They told me it was not breast cancer, because breast cancer does not happen to children," said Carrie Auslam, Hannah's mother.

In mid-April, test results came back with a shocking diagnosis - Hannah has Stage IIA Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, an adult form of breast cancer. The rest of the tumor, which had grown around blood vessels in Hannah's breast, would have to be removed.

"Breast cancer in children is exceedingly rare," Dr. Nathan Honda said. Honda has not treated nor examined Hannah, but works as medical director of the Ruby L. Golleher Comprehensive Cancer Program at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital.

He said about 0.1 percent of breast cancer occurs in children and is generally less aggressive than in adults.

Carrie and Jeremy Auslam waited a few days to tell their daughter, gathering information about the disease to answer Hannah's questions.
Then, they broke the news.

"I didn't really know what cancer is," Hannah said. "I was just crying and I couldn't stop."

Carrie Auslam said she hopes her family's story will help kids communicate with parents about changes to their bodies that might indicate a problem.

"Hannah knew about that lump," Auslam said. "But she thought it was part of `growing up."'

The diagnosis means Hannah will likely have a mastectomy of her left breast, which will be reconstructed once she has developed.

She will also likely face chemotherapy, but her prognosis is good. Stage IIA breast cancer, characterized by smaller tumors found in the breast and minimal spread of the disease to the rest of the body, is very treatable.

Carrie Auslam said dealing with the disease is just part of the problem. Finding a doctor has been difficult as well. Oncologists at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles had little experience with breast cancer, so the family turned to UCLA Medical Center.

Breast cancer is treated there, though children are rarely patients.
Auslam said the youngest case any of the doctors she met had seen was 16.

When Hannah's friends and family learned of the diagnosis, they rushed to help her. Her uncle and father launched a blog, ourlittlesweetpea.com, to chronicle Hannah's battle with cancer and to provide a place to send donations or messages of encouragement.

Hannah's parents told her classmates and softball team, who have been equally supportive.

"The support is amazing," Carrie Auslam said.

Donation buckets were recently placed at a local carnival. A friend of the Auslam family donated Guess accessories for a sale to benefit the 10-year-old.

Although she had to leave this softball season early - her team, the Silver and Black Attack of the La Mirada Girls Softball Association, still has two games and the playoffs left - the team gave her a special send-off at her last game on Saturday.

The opposing squad met Hannah and her teammates at home plate and presented her with a signed shirt and pink Oakley glasses. One of the girls led a prayer for Hannah, and she threw out the first pitch.

The girls on her team are wearing pink hair ties and decals with her name and "No. 11" as a tribute to her for the rest of the season. Those decals are also being sold as a fundraiser for Hannah, to be placed in a trust.

Another team will wear pink uniforms for the rest of the season in her honor.

Hannah's team manager, Tommy Urbina, said Hannah is known on Silver and Black Attack for her strong bat and good attitude.

He said the girls still consider her part of the team.

"They're very supportive of her," Urbina said. "Yesterday we had practice, and one of the little kids said, `Let's win for Hannah."'
Hannah says she wants to make her cancer a positive experience, and is writing a book.

"God chose me because he knows I'm a strong girl and I can get through it."

Source Link
http://www.sgvtribune.com/news/ci_12248253


http://www.infraredmedicalsolutions.com/articles/40

[samanthajane13]

10-year-old battles breast cancer
By Airan Scruby, Staff Writer
Posted: 04/28/2009 05:27:38 PM PDT

LA MIRADA - Hannah is 10 years old, but she is fighting a grown-up battle.

Hannah Powell-Auslam, a fifth-grader at Escalona Elementary School, is being treated for breast cancer.

"It's very surreal," said Jeremy Auslam, Hannah's father. "We can't be the only ones."

Incidents of breast cancer among pre-pubescent children are extremely rare.

Hannah was diagnosed this month, a few weeks after her mother found a lump in her left breast. In late March, after she complained of itching, her mother took her to the bathroom to check for any problems. She immediately felt the growth.

The family quickly made an appointment to have it examined and Hannah had surgery to remove part of the mass in early April.

Not all of the tumor was removed, because it had advanced into breast tissue that would not grow normally in adulthood if it was damaged. The portion that was removed was sent for tests, but doctors reassured the family.

"They told me it was not breast cancer, because breast cancer does not happen to children," said Carrie Auslam, Hannah's mother.

In mid-April, test results came back with a shocking diagnosis - Hannah has Stage IIA Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, an adult form of breast cancer. The rest of the tumor, which had grown around blood vessels in Hannah's breast, would have to be removed.

"Breast cancer in children is exceedingly rare," Dr. Nathan Honda said. Honda has not treated nor examined Hannah, but works as medical director of the Ruby L. Golleher Comprehensive Cancer Program at Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital.

He said about 0.1 percent of breast cancer occurs in children and is generally less aggressive than in adults.

Carrie and Jeremy Auslam waited a few days to tell their daughter, gathering information about the disease to answer Hannah's questions.

Then, they broke the news.

"I didn't really know what cancer is," Hannah said. "I was just crying and I couldn't stop."

Carrie Auslam said she hopes her family's story will help kids communicate with parents about changes to their bodies that might indicate a problem.

"Hannah knew about that lump," Auslam said. "But she thought it was part of `growing up."'

The diagnosis means Hannah will likely have a mastectomy of her left breast, which will be reconstructed once she has developed.

She will also likely face chemotherapy, but her prognosis is good. Stage IIA breast cancer, characterized by smaller tumors found in the breast and minimal spread of the disease to the rest of the body, is very treatable.

Carrie Auslam said dealing with the disease is just part of the problem. Finding a doctor has been difficult as well. Oncologists at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles had little experience with breast cancer, so the family turned to UCLA Medical Center.

Breast cancer is treated there, though children are rarely patients.

Auslam said the youngest case any of the doctors she met had seen was 16.

When Hannah's friends and family learned of the diagnosis, they rushed to help her. Her uncle and father launched a blog, ourlittlesweetpea.com, to chronicle Hannah's battle with cancer and to provide a place to send donations or messages of encouragement.

Hannah's parents told her classmates and softball team, who have been equally supportive.

"The support is amazing," Carrie Auslam said.

Donation buckets were recently placed at a local carnival. A friend of the Auslam family donated Guess accessories for a sale to benefit the 10-year-old.

Although she had to leave this softball season early - her team, the Silver and Black Attack of the La Mirada Girls Softball Association, still has two games and the playoffs left - the team gave her a special send-off at her last game on Saturday.

The opposing squad met Hannah and her teammates at home plate and presented her with a signed shirt and pink Oakley glasses. One of the girls led a prayer for Hannah, and she threw out the first pitch.

The girls on her team are wearing pink hair ties and decals with her name and "No. 11" as a tribute to her for the rest of the season. Those decals are also being sold as a fundraiser for Hannah, to be placed in a trust.

Another team will wear pink uniforms for the rest of the season in her honor.

Hannah's team manager, Tommy Urbina, said Hannah is known on Silver and Black Attack for her strong bat and good attitude.

He said the girls still consider her part of the team.

"They're very supportive of her," Urbina said. "Yesterday we had practice, and one of the little kids said, `Let's win for Hannah."'

Hannah says she wants to make her cancer a positive experience, and is writing a book.

"God chose me because he knows I'm a strong girl and I can get through it."


http://www.whittierdailynews.com/ci_12248253?source=rss_viewed