October 30, 2006 marked the launch of our series Cancer by the Numbers. Our intention was to give individual attention to each and every cancer, to raise awareness of the multitude of cancerous diseases that seem to consume our population, to answer questions and pose questions, and to initiate discussion among readers. I think we are accomplishing what we set out to do. Still, we have a lot of ground to cover. Since that October day last year, we have featured 13 different cancers. That's a lot. And not a lot, when you consider how many different strains of one disease really exist.

I am writing today to reaffirm our commitment to Cancer by the Numbers. These posts will appear at least twice per month -- so be on the lookout. Until the next one appears, though, take a look back at what we have to offer in one of our most comprehensive and researched Cancer Blog series. Here they are:

Cancer by the Numbers: Basal Cell Carcinoma
Cancer by the Numbers: Osteosarcoma
Cancer by the Numbers: Hodgkin's Disease
Cancer by the Numbers: Gallbladder Cancer
Cancer by the Numbers: Glioblastoma Multiforme
Cancer by the Numbers: Melanoma
Cancer by the Numbers: Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Cancer by the Numbers: Liver Cancer
Cancer by the Numbers: Rhabdomyosarcoma
Cancer by the Numbers: Cervical Cancer
Cancer by the Numbers: Pancreatic Cancer
Cancer by the Numbers: Lung Cancer
Cancer by the Numbers: Testicular Cancer

If there's a cancer you'd like to see covered sooner rather than later, please leave us a comment and let us know.

Living and managing metastatic breast cancer can be challenging however, with some knowledge and support, you can face the disease head-on. HER Connection is a program designed to provide you with resources you need to help you understand more about your disease. Enroll today and receive important information about your condition, your treatment options, and how to partner with your healthcare team. In addition, you will receive a complimentary music CD - Healing Sounds.

Once the enrollment form has been submitted you will receive a personalized Doctor Discussion Guide to print out, with essential information, including:

• Descriptions of the specialists who may be part of your healthcare team
• Explanations of the roles and responsibilities of these different team members
• Questions on a range of issues you may want to ask the different members of your team as you confront metastatic cancer

You will also receive several emails, all customized specifically for you based on the information you provide on the registration form.

My father taught me that when you have a problem, find someone else who has the same problem and talk to them about it. Real life experiences trump almost every other kind of information. Although women are 100 times more likely than men to be diagnosed with breast cancer, and less than one percent of breast cancer patients are men, men do get breast cancer.

Some of the signs of breast cancer include:

• Lump or thickening in the breast.
• Skin dimpling or puckering.
• Development of a new retraction or indentation of the nipple.
• Redness of scaling of the nipple or breast skin.
• A spontaneous clear or bloody discharge from the nipple.
  

Some of the known risk factors include: age, family history, genetic predisposition, radiation exposure, Klinefelter syndrome (a congenital abnormality of the sex chromosomes X and Y), exposure to estrogen, liver disease, excess weight and excess alcohol consumption.

Breast cancer resources for men are few and far between, but to follow my father's advice about finding someone to talk to and learn from that has faced the same real life experience, I tracked down several resources men diagnosed with breast cancer might find of interest.

Newsday is featuring the personal story of breast cancer survivor Cameron Alden. Alden tells his breast cancer story as part of a personal cause to raise awareness that men can be diagnosed with breast cancer.

USA Today's Richard Roundtree 'Knows the Score' on cancer features breast cancer survivor Roundtree's personal story and his work with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to raise men's awareness about the disease.

The John W. Nick Foundation was created in memory of John W. Nick, who died from breast cancer at the age of 58. Male breast cancer survivors John W. Nick, Captain Edward J. Wilson, Bob Stafford, Walter Creekmore, David Eisenberg, Mark Eldridge, Dave Lyons, and Ken Graham by Sue Graham share their personal stories of breast cancer on the foundation website.

MALEBC is a discussion mailing list for men with breast cancer. Currently it has 27 members.

Because men often face shock, embarrassment and isolation when diagnosed with breast cancer, the National Breast Cancer Centre has launched Breast Cancer in Men, Australia's first website launched for men with breast cancer offering information and resources from diagnosis to living beyond breast cancer written specifically for men.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 1,720 men will receive a breast cancer diagnosis this year, and 460 men will die from the disease. For men, breast cancer is most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 60 and 70. If any of our readers are aware of other internet resources specifically written for men facing breast cancer, please leave the resource and a link in the comments area following this post.

In a surprising discovery, 200 mutated genes linked to the development, growth and spread of breast and colon cancers have been identified by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists. This information might provide vital research into the future treatment for these cancers.

Other cancers can be studied using the methods these researchers, called the Hopkins gene hunters, used in discovering the 200 genetic mutations for breast and colon cancers.

"This gives us some understanding of why breast and colon cancers, and most likely other cancers as well, are very different diseases and develop through different processes. When we say this will drive cancer research for the next couple of decades, this is one of the reasons," states Kenneth Kinzler, Ph.D., professor of oncology and co-director of the Ludwig Center at Johns Hopkins. "Now researchers will study how these mutations occur in breast and colon cancers, perhaps searching for environmental agents or cellular processes that drive these changes."

To read more detail on this study and discovery, visit Genome Code Cracked for Breast and Colon Cancers. An MP3 file and XML for iPods has been provided so that you can listen to Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists discuss this research.

Michael Fumento is an author, journalist, and attorney specializing in science and health issues. And he has a lot to say about the Surgeon General's recent announcement that the second-hand smoke debate is over -- that second-hand smoke does in fact kill. Fumento believes that the debate is over means if you have your doubts, then keep them to yourself -- that the topic is not up for discussion any longer. But Fumento states that we should definitely have doubts -- about the effects of second-hand smoke and about what the Surgeon General has to say about it.

Joey has a hard time staying in bed when we put him down for the night. When we ask him why he continually gets up, he tells us that he wants to be with us -- mommy and daddy --  and that he wants to watch TV and that he's just not tired. He is five years old. And he will try anything to coax us into allowing him to stay up just a little bit longer. Lately, he's been asking serious questions he knows will take some time to answer -- like how exactly does a light bulb work? And how does lightening get in the air? And how do you build a house? Last night, his questions followed a medical path -- a cancer path really.