October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when many organizations are trying to heighten awareness about the disease.

One group that has taken an active role in the cause is WOMEN'S INFORMATION NETWORK AGAINST BREAST CANCER (WIN ABC; Covina, CA), which provides breast cancer patients with free resources to help them make informed decisions about their treatment options. The group offers information, referrals and companionship to help both women and men cope with the potentially traumatic situation.

"I think it (WIN) helps them feel they're not alone and that they're able to overcome the fear and that there is life after breast cancer," Renee Gaines, program assistant for the group, told Medical Industry Today.

WIN, founded in 1994, serves about 20,000 men and women annually. The group is active primarily in the Southern California area, but it may expand its services to reach larger numbers of people nationwide, said Dr. Vladimir Lange, a board member.

One of the services offered by WIN is the Breast Buddy Program, in which a breast cancer survivor is paired up with a newly diagnosed patient. The survivor provides the new patient with support, guidance and an empathetic ear. The program, which also includes services such as an interactive computer/video program about breast cancer, is offered in the Southern California area.

The Breast Aid Program provides information about topics such as mammography screening and referrals to other support groups. The information is disseminated through pamphlets, books and video and audiotapes. This program is available to people nationwide.

Such information is important because newly diagnosed people may leave the doctor's office feeling scared and confused, Gaines said.

"We're not giving medical advice," Gaines told Medical Industry Today. "We're giving them information to help them make an informed decision regarding their treatment."

WIN also offers a Breast Cancer Resource Center that features an interactive video computer program to help newly diagnosed patients make informed decisions. The program is offered in three Kaiser Permanente facilities in the Southern California area.

In addition, WIN is developing the Breast Aid Program for Underserved and Indigent Patients. The program will provide modified Breast Buddy Program to people with insufficient support and information, such as women who lack health insurance. The group hopes to officially launch the program at several Southern California medical centers by January 1998.

WIN receives funding from sources such as corporations, private foundations and individuals.

Lange, the WIN Board member, is aware of the emotional toll that a breast cancer diagnosis can take. His wife was diagnosed with breast cancer about 10 years ago, but she has survived.

Through Lange's profession, he helps people understand the various issues related to breast cancer. He is the president and CEO of Lange Productions, a developer of breast care educational videos. WIN uses some of his materials to educate women about breast cancer.

It is important for breast cancer survivors to participate in decisions relating to their treatment, Lange told Medical Industry Today. WIN provides breast cancer survivors with access to reliable information to help them do this, Lange said.

"With facts comes a feeling of regaining control of your life," he said.

Meanwhile, members of WIN may be heartened by some encouraging news. A study published Tuesday shows that it may be possible to better identify women who are likely to carry genetic mutations linked to breast and ovarian cancer.

"Family history, age of onset and ethnicity are all essential ingredients to the cancer puzzle," said Donna Shattuck-Eidens of Myriad Genetics in Salt Lake City, Utah, in a Reuters report.

"This study will assist physicians in determining which patients are at highest risk of having a . . . mutation and will help those women and their family members to seek care that may save lives."

Shattuck-Eidens, in collaboration with 20 institutions in the United States, Italy, Germany, Finland and Switzerland, analyzed the gene known as BRCA 1 in 798 women, Reuters reported. The research involved the use of a model containing risk factors, such as family history, they help identify women who are likely to be carrying a mutation.

An estimated 5 to 10 percent of female breast cancer is due to inheriting an altered or mutated copy of one of two genes, BRAC 1 and BRAC 2, according to the study, published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association.

The model used in the study "can be an important tool for clinicians as they incorporate genetic susceptibility into their medical practice," according to the study.

American Cancer Society figures show an estimated 18,200 new invasive cases of breast cancer among women in the United States during 1997. About 1,400 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in men in 1997, according to the society.

This SPECIAL REPORT contains all original material developed, researched and written by Medical Industry Today staff reporters for exclusive publication by Medical Data International.