Dr Jane O'Brien-Specialist Breast Cancer Surgeon in East Melbourne, Victoria | Doctor

Dr Jane O'Brien-Specialist Breast Cancer Surgeon

Locality: East Melbourne, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 9928 6261

Address: Suite 92 166 Gipps St 3002 East Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.melbournebreastcancersurgery.com.au/

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25.01.2022 As the toll from COVID mounted in the early months, it became apparent that people with diabetes and hypertension were at heightened risk of severe disease, but obesity didn’t attract as much attention. You have more than double the likelihood of going into the hospital if you’re obese and 50% more likelihood of dying. #obesity #coronavirus

22.01.2022 Like many cancer survivors, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how I gave myself cancer. What had I been doing wrong? I wasn’t overweight, didn’t have the BRCA gene mutation, wasn’t a smoker or heavy drinker and wasn’t over 55 all the big risk factors for breast cancer. Fitness may not have kept cancer away, but I do believe it helped lessen its impact and certainly helped me recover from my surgeries more quickly so quickly, in fact, that some people still don’t know I had cancer. #breastcancer

22.01.2022 Wondering if scalp cooling may be an option for you? Learn if you can benefit using this helpful Decision Making Guide from Paxman Scalp Cooling. #scalpcooling

22.01.2022 With Victorian health department and government officials having focused exclusively on COVID-19 case numbers throughout the second wave of the pandemic, cancer specialists such as myself see an emerging public health crisis going unnoticed, which may potentially result in more avoidable deaths from cancer, than from the coronavirus itself. There has been a steep drop in breast cancer diagnoses reported both internationally and nationally since the start of the pandemic, and ...the impact has been especially profound in Melbourne where we have been subject to what is possibly the most extreme and prolonged lockdown globally. Significant reductions in 5 and 10 year breast cancer survival due to delays in diagnosis and treatment occurring as a result of the pandemic restrictions threaten to potentially negate the hard won improvements in breast cancer mortality achieved over the last 20 years. #pandemic #lockdown See more

20.01.2022 My breasts are not on public display. I will probably never be asked to pose for Playboy although the more salient determining factor may be that I am a senior. No one sees my wounded breasts. But faced with a mirror I cringe. I try to convince myself that it is irrelevant but it is one more after-effect that I live with in the ongoing drama that is Cancerland. #breastcancer

20.01.2022 Join Counterpart’s Healthy Eating after Cancer webinar on November 11th. Presenter Steph Labourne is a Clinical Dietician working with cancer patients. She will speak about: what foods make up a healthy diet; maintaining a healthy weight; some of the common myths and misconceptions about diet and cancer; the evidence about foods that do impact on cancer; and where to find support, information and resources to help you maintain a healthy diet. This session is free. Regist...er: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/healthy-eating-after-cancer #healthyeating See more

19.01.2022 "Many cancer survivors and patients I speak to are not as blindsided by the news as one might expect them to be. There were events or problems that led them into the doctor’s office to begin with. There were tests done looking for something, anything to explain the abnormal ailments that are disrupting their lives. That doesn’t mean the big ‘C’ word came to them any easier though. Some hear the news and feel confident that they will fight it, they know it will be hard, but they have witnessed others successfully fight cancer. Others are hit a little harder, they feel scared, they feel worried, the unknowns come at them and not only do their minds go into overdrive, but their bodies fill with adrenaline and they shake, quiver and some even say that suddenly they can’t hear and the room goes dark." #breastcancer

19.01.2022 I know it isn’t a contest between cancer and COVID, but many reading this have lived for years with cancer. The fatigue from years can’t compare to fatigue from seven months. Yet, we all can empathize because 2020 has been a rough year. The National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) is located within the National institutes of Health (NIH). The NCBI defines treatment fatigue as decreased desire and motivation to maintain vigilance in adhering to a treatment regimen among patients prescribed long-term protocols. Treatment fatigue from ongoing cancer treatments absolutely counts. #fatigue #pandemicfatigue

19.01.2022 Probiotics are live microorganisms that may have health benefits when eaten. They’re found in both supplements and fermented foods. Probiotics may improve immune function and digestive and heart health, among other benefits. #probiotics

18.01.2022 Lockdowns are a good tactic in situations where transmission is spiralling out of control and there is a threat of the health system being overwhelmed. They can buy you time to reorganise, regroup, rebalance your resources. But they should not be used as the main strategy against COVID-19 more broadly. And the decision to impose a lockdown should be considered carefully, with the benefits weighed against the often very significant consequences. Lockdowns have a disproportio...nate impact on the most disadvantaged people in society. This cost is greater still in poorer countries, where not going to work can mean literally having no food to eat. So if lockdowns are best used as a short, sharp measure to stop the coronavirus running rampant, what other strategies should we be focusing on to control the spread of COVID-19 more generally? Here are four key tactics. 1. Testing, contact tracing and isolation 2. Responding to clusters 3. Educating the public 4. Masks #pandemic See more

18.01.2022 Some breast cancer treatments have menopausal-like side effects, while others, especially chemotherapy, can cause menopause to occur earlier than it otherwise would. The Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation - MCHRI, with support from BCNA, is hosting a free webinar on early menopause associated with breast cancer. You can register for the webinar at: https://bit.ly/36DVHTe #earlymenopause

18.01.2022 Cancer never stops and with the drop in screening participation, amongst other things, the coronavirus itself will ultimately have a smaller health impact than other health issues induced by the pandemic response. The consequences of people delaying health checks could be profound for both the individual and our healthcare system. In Victoria, breast cancer diagnoses have continued to remain significantly down on the expected numbers from March 2020 onwards. Don’t delay breast screenings and see your GP immediately if you develop any new breast symptoms. #cancerwontwait

17.01.2022 ? Final day of mandatory outdoor masks in Melbourne

17.01.2022 The probability that an obese person will develop severe COVID-19 is high regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, and the presence of co-morbidities such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart or lung disease, according to a study published in Obesity Research & Clinical Practice. The systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant data in the scientific literature focus on nine clinical studies, which in aggregate reported the evolution of 6,577 COVID-19 patients in five countries. The authors conclude that obesity is itself a factor that favors rapid progression to critical illness requiring intensive care and significantly increases the risk of death. In the studies analyzed, 9.4% of the obese patients treated in intensive care units died. #obesity #coronavirus

16.01.2022 Breast Cancer Screening with Mammography: Sorting Hype from Fact #breastscreening

15.01.2022 "If something is wrong, it’s not going to wait for COVID-19 to be over. If you can put on a mask and go to the grocery store, you can put on a mask and get a mammogram. #pandemic #breastcancerscreening

15.01.2022 People tend to go through life thinking they have all the time in the world. They’ll have time to spend with their children or grandchildren later when they’re done with their careers. They’ll take that big trip to Europe when they retire. They’ll write a book . . . someday. There’ll be time enough. When you have cancer, you don’t think that way. Time is a valuable commodity, especially for patients with cancer who may find themselves with limited time or limited free time to enjoy the things they loved prior to their cancer. But the COVID-19 pandemic is robbing patients of that precious time. #pandemic

15.01.2022 In 2018, The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) published an update to its 2016 adaptation of the Cancer Care Ontario guideline on the use of adjuvant chemotherapy for early-stage breast cancer and targeted therapy for HER2-positive disease (about 10% to 20% of newly diagnosed breast cancers demonstrate overexpression of the HER2 protein). However, recent data from the phase III KATHERINE trial5which enrolled patients without a complete response to treatment in the... neoadjuvant settingshed new light on how best to treat women with residual disease. Thus, ASCO again enlisted a multidisciplinary group of experts to revise the guideline to account for these new findings. The main recommendations from the focused update are that 14 cycles of adjuvant T-DM1 should be offered to patients with HER2-positive breast cancer with pathologic invasive residual disease after preoperative chemotherapy unless there is disease recurrence or unmanageable toxicity. See: https://ascopubs.org/doi/pdf/10.1200/JCO.20.02510 #trastuzumabemtansine #kadcyla See more

15.01.2022 It's OK to Cut Yourself Some Slack When Dealing With Cancer #breastcancer

14.01.2022 Wishing everyone a happy and healthy 2021. #worstyear2020

14.01.2022 "With great power comes great responsibility." This is a theme on which I have posted on multiple occasions during the pandemic, as it is very relevant to the Victorian authorities use of reserve public health powers to implement prolonged restrictive lockdown policies. I would encourage you to read this editorial written by two local experts, which eloquently outlines some of the unintended consequences and harms of implementing uniform mobility and work restrictions. They ...Continue reading

14.01.2022 From skin dimpling to nipple discharge, did you notice a sign or symptom of breast cancer that wasn't a lump? #breastcancer

14.01.2022 What is a mammogram? Mammography is a test that uses X-rays to create images of the breast. These images are called mammograms. In the past, mammogram images were stored only on film (film mammography). Now, mammogram images are also able to be stored on a computer (digital mammography). #breastscreening

14.01.2022 Never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined that anything like this would happen to me. I was the typical career driven, ambitious 20 something I had a busy job in media and an even busier social life I simply didn’t have time for cancer. At the time of my diagnosis I was just weeks away from relocating to London, when I received a call that my great aunt had Breast cancer. The shocking news actually prompted me to do a quick self-check in the shower and that’s when I found a rock-hard lump. Beside myself with fear, I saw a doctor the following day who assured me that it was simply calcification and that at 27 years old, I was just too young for breast cancer. That was three surgeries, 22 rounds of chemotherapy and 26 rounds of radiation ago. #breastcancer

13.01.2022 Breast cancers found in between regular screening mammograms called interval cancers by doctors are more likely to have aggressive characteristics than breast cancers found by routine screening, according to a study published by in Sept 2020 by JAMA Network Open. In the cohort study of 69 025 women, interval breast cancers accounted for one-fourth of breast cancers in routinely screened women, were 6 times more likely to be high grade (grade III), and had 3.5 times increased hazards of breast cancer death compared with screen-detected cancers. See: https://jamanetwork.com//niraula_2020_oi_200656_1601050067 #breastscreening

11.01.2022 An easy-to-follow overview on mammography, and how to prepare. #breastscreening

11.01.2022 Nipple Discharge Discharge of fluid from a normal breast is referred to as ‘physiological discharge’. It is usually yellow, milky, or green in appearance, does not occur spontaneously, and often originates from more than one duct. Physiological Nipple Discharge is no cause for concern. Milky Nipple Discharge is also normal during pregnancy and breastfeeding. When is Nipple Discharge abnormal? Spontaneous Nipple Discharge unrelated to pregnancy or breastfeeding is considered abnormal. In most cases it has a benign cause, and is more likely to be unilateral, confined to one duct, and clear or bloodstained in appearance. Nipple Discharge associated with other breast symptoms such as a lump, ulceration, or inversion of the nipple require prompt investigation. #nippledischarge

11.01.2022 Covid 19 and Decision Fatigue: Making decisions that are based on rapidly shifting data sets, information that keeps changing, and the unpredictability of the nature of the pandemic has certainly exacerbated people’s difficulty in making fluent and confident decisions. #decisionfatigue

09.01.2022 For people who experience social anxiety, the return to ‘normal’ life after lockdown may feel challenging. #lockdown

09.01.2022 At the age of 48, Ninon Valade was diagnosed with breast cancer. She learned there could be a link between her triple negative breast cancer and gene mutations. Testing confirmed she had a PALB2 mutation, which provided an explanation for her cancer and, ultimately more knowledge and a feeling of empowerment. Read more about Ninon’s story at http://ow.ly/xS9h50BRPkP #palb2 #breastcancer

08.01.2022 St Vincent’s Private Hospital Visitor Update. Effective from midnight Wednesday 6th January 2021. General Hospital Visitors: - Two visitors, once per day between 3pm-8pm - Maximum visit duration: One hour... Day surgery and Day oncology: - No visitors due to social distance space requirements - One visitor to assist with discharge requirements as needed Consulting Suites: - One support person and dependants if required. We are unable to allow visitors who have attended any Victorian exposure site until completion of DHHS quarantine and testing requirements have been completed. Please see https://fal.cn/3czjY. Visitors who have returned from NSW are also not permitted until completion of 14 day isolation period and a negative COVID19 test result, and remain symptom free. Close contacts of persons in any affected area are also asked not to visit. See more

07.01.2022 "You look great!' doesn’t mean cancer survivors feel great." #breastcancer

07.01.2022 The Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial (VITAL), which was completed in 2018, found that vitamin D did not reduce overall incidence of cancer, but it hinted at a decreased risk of cancer deaths. Now, in a secondary analysis of VITAL, a research team focused on the connection between taking vitamin D supplements and the risk of metastatic or fatal cancer. A report published in JAMA Network Open found that vitamin D was associated with an overall 17% risk reduction for advanced cance...r. When the team looked at only participants with a normal body mass index (BMI), they found a 38% risk reduction, suggesting that body mass may influence the relationship between vitamin D and a decreased risk of advanced cancer. While the team's findings on BMI could be due to chance, there is previous evidence that body mass may affect vitamin D activity. Obesity and associated inflammation may decrease the effectiveness of vitamin Dpossibly by reducing vitamin D receptor sensitivity or altering vitamin D signaling. In addition, randomized trials of vitamin D and patients with type 2 diabetes have found greater benefits of vitamin D in people with normal weights and no benefit among those with obesity. Vitamin D deficiency is common among patients with cancer, with one study reporting rates of vitamin D deficiency as high as 72%. There is also evidence that higher amounts of body fat are associated with an increased risk for several types of cancer. #vitaminD See more

05.01.2022 The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) UK has launched a new comprehensive guide that includes the latest scientific evidence for anyone who wants to know the facts about keeping healthy after cancer. The guide is for those who have finished their cancer treatment to keep healthy and help reduce the chance of cancer recurring. Even if you've been given the all-clear, it can be a daunting time and is often made worse by the mixed messages about what diet and lifestyle advice p...eople should be following. It’s full of practical advice on: ways to eat more healthily how to manage weight loss and gain getting more activity into the day and how to make healthy changes stick. It also addresses some of the common myths that people have around diet and cancer. You can download the new guide here: wcrf-uk.org/HLAC #breastcancer See more

05.01.2022 Tips for coping with scanxiety #scanxiety

04.01.2022 If you don’t live in Melbourne and haven’t experienced what we’ve experienced, you can’t actually understand what we’ve been through. COVID has affected all Australians, but these last few months have been different for us. Research on collective trauma and community recovery after disaster and upheaval tells us this is common in groups that have faced challenging experiences together. #lockdown #pandemic

03.01.2022 PALB2 means ‘Partner and Localizer of the BRCA2 gene. Mutations in the PALB2 gene are much rarer than mutations in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. Data collected by the PALB2 Interest Group shows that women carrying a PALB2 gene mutation have about a 17% chance of developing breast cancer and about a 1% chance of developing ovarian cancer before age 50, and a 53% and 5% chance by age 80.To put that data into perspective, around 12% of women in the general population develop breast cancer over their lives and 2% develop ovarian cancer. #PALB2

02.01.2022 Doctors may have the medical know-how to treat you, but what about all the repercussions of cancer in your life outside the hospital? #breastcancer

02.01.2022 Register for The American Society of Breast Surgeons Foundation (ASBrS Foundation) FREE Breast Cancer Survivor Empowerment Summit composed of tracks of short, informative, and engaging on-demand videos which will help prepare you for what is to come, covering best practices for shared decision-making; making sense of genetic testing; breast reconstruction options; sexual health; and managing your lifestyle with fun exercises, mindfulness, and optimal nutrition for your health. To register, click on the page below. #breastcancer #survivorship

02.01.2022 #nippledischarge

02.01.2022 According to research undertaken at Yale and Oxford which compared the number of days of bad self-reported mental health between individuals who exercised and those who did not, exercise came out on top. The study found that individuals who exercised had 43.2% fewer days of poor mental health in the past month than individuals who did not exercise. The scientists found that those who exercised regularly tended to feel bad for 35 days a year, while non-active participants felt bad for an average 18 days more. #exercise