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NOVEMBER 24, 2011 - DECEMBER 1, 2011 3 BEACONMEDIANEWS.COM MEDIA, INC. ADDRESS: 125 E. Chestnut Ave., Monrovia, CA 91016 PHONE: (626) 301-1010 PUBLISHER/EDITOR IN CHIEF Von Raees EDITORIAL EDITOR Terry Miller PHOTOGRAPHER Terry Miller COLUMNISTS Dorothy Denne Wally Hage SOCIAL EDITOR Floretta Lauber CONTRIBUTORS Bill Peters Candyce Columbus Greg Aragon Susan Motander Sue Behrens Tom Gammill EDITORIAL INTERNS AmyLeong Bryan Filipponi Michelle R. 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The Monrovia Weekly has been adjudicated as a newspaper of General Circulation in Court Case GS 004759. The Temple City Tribune has been adjudicated as a newspaper of general circulation in court case number GS 012440. Carolyn Daniels, 81, talks with doctors. Daniels had the SAVI procedure after she was found in January to have early-stage breast cancer. -Courtesy Photo Ascension Invites the Village to Give Thanks Soon, the American tradition known as Thanks- giving will be upon us. As we gather together with great enthusiasm for amaz- ing food and fellowship let us remember to be grateful for all the blessings in our lives. Sierra Madre’s Vil- lage Church (Ascension) invites the community for celebration of the liturgy of Thanksgiving and worship during the Thanksgiving Mass on November 24th at 9:00 a.m. at Church of the Ascension, 25 East Laurel Avenue in Sierra Madre. This event makes for a wonderful family outing to meet new neighbors and check out a wonder- ful community church. For more information, please call (626) 355-1133 or visit: www.ascension-sierrama- dre.com. Huntington Hospital a National Leader in SAVI Breast Cancer Treatment Huntington Memorial Hospital has emerged as a national leader in providing an advanced form of radia- tion therapy for breast can- cer. It’s called SAVI, and it’s appropriate for many women with early-stage breast cancer as part of breast conservation therapy, or BCT (breast-conserving lumpectomy surgery plus follow-up radiation). The SAVI applicator targets the tumor site from inside the breast and is be- coming a more widely used alternative to traditional ra- diation. This customized ther- apy can provide important advantages for women with early-stage breast cancer, ac- cording to breast surgeon Jeannie Shen, M.D., Hun- tington’s medical director for breast surgery, and radiation oncologist Ruth Williamson, M.D. medical director of the breast cancer program. Carolyn Daniels, 81, had the SAVI procedure after she was found in Janu- ary to have early-stage breast cancer. “It sounded really good to me,” Daniels says, because SAVI patients complete therapy much more quickly compared to women who have older forms of radiation that target the entire breast. After Dr. Shen removed the tumor, Daniels says, “I had no discomfort during my treatment. In fact, I was able to resume swimming just a couple weeks afterward.” Notes Dr. Shen, “SAVI is a wonderful tool that al- lows us to offer a shorter course of radiation to many women.” SAVI refines a form of therapy called accelerated partial breast irradiation, or APBI. “There is now 10 years of evidence on APBI,” Dr. Williamson notes. “SAVI provides excellent cosmetic results, and it allows us to customize the dose.” The doctors say this ap- proach can provide special advantages for certain wom- en, such as those who have full-time jobs or substantial family obligations and don't have the time for traditional, whole breast irradiation -- a procedure that involves treat- ment five times a week for a much longer period of six weeks. This newer approach, the doctors say, may also encourage some women to choose the potential advan- tages of lumpectomy plus radiation instead of having a mastectomy -- which requires surgical removal of the breast and is often followed by breast reconstruction. Long-term studies have consistently found that on average, women who have had lumpectomy plus radia- tion live as long as those who undergo mastectomy. As evidence of Hunting- ton Hospital's commitment to making the SAVI alterna- tive available, the hospital has been named a Center of Excellence for APBI and SAVI. This designation signi- fies the hospital’s dedication to education, training and ex- perience in APBI. To qualify for the Cen- ter of Excellence honor, physicians, medical physi- cists and clinical staff were required to complete a comprehensive training and education program to demonstrate proficiency in delivering radiation therapy with SAVI. They have also expressed a commitment to patient education, advocacy and awareness of advanced breast cancer treatments. SAVI treatment typi- cally involves two treat- ments per day for only five days. This shorter timeframe makes it far more convenient than traditional, whole-breast radiation. Radiation treatment af- ter a lumpectomy has tradi- tionally involved irradiation of the entire breast with an external beam. Besides the inconvenience of the six- week-long regimen, many women must travel some distance to receive external- beam radiation. That can put additional stress on their families, jobs, and financial resources. In addition to shorten- ing the therapy time, partial breast irradiation with SAVI minimizes radiation expo- sure of healthy tissue, which reduces dose to critical struc- tures such as the skin, heart, lungs and ribs. As part of Huntington Hospital's commitment to better research and medical care, Drs. Shen and William- son are heading up a study of the SAVI procedure. It's de- signed to provide even more clinical and scientific evalu- ation of the procedure, and they hope to publish their study results. “We have very low re- currence rates with SAVI,” said Dr. Williamson. “More- over, it's important for us to offer women as many viable alternatives as possible. Now we can offer this short, five- day approach that has mini- mal discomfort and side ef- fects. With its ability to sculpt the dose, it makes partial breast radiation an option for an increasing number of our patients." CENTURY ROOTER Service and Plumbing, Inc. Lic. #707409 For Service Call: 800-782-4744 Residential • Commercial 24 Hour Service • 7 Days a Week Copper Repiping • Sewer & Drain Cleaning High Pressure Jetting & Hydro Cleaning Video Inspection & Locating Bowen Du, the 19-year- old driver who hit 16-year- old Alice Zhang and a friend on a Duarte Road crosswalk in Arcadia ealier this year , has pleaded guilty to two mis- demeanors as part of a plea deal.Alice Zhang died in the accident and her friend suf- fered major injuries. Arcadia detectives had determined that Du’s windshield was extremely dirty the evening of the accident and that com- bined with setting sun was de- termined to be a contributing factor in Zhang’s death .Du could face up to 18 months in prison. Du will be sentenced Dec. 18. Driver Accepts Plea Deal in Death of Alice Zhang
