From the Editors

Each issue of Women&Cancer provides us not only the opportunity to bring our readers news of exciting developments in cancer research and prevention but also the ability to speak to the importance of wellness and the spiritual and emotional topics that create the foundation for quality of life that can be so critical during a cancer journey. It is with this dual purpose in mind—to both educate and inspire—that we approach our mission each quarter; and in this spring issue we have again created an enlightening group of features to share with you.

Because spring brings many of us out into the sun again, our War Room department includes a section devoted to skin cancer, including clinical and advocacy features. In addition to skin cancer, we focus on brain tumors, with a feature devoted to clarifying different types of tumors, diagnosis and treatment, as well as profiles of two important advocacy organizations that are working hard to raise awareness and research dollars. Finally, we round out The War Room with the latest breast cancer research news from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and a feature describing a powerful community of HER2-positive breast cancer survivors who call themselves the HER2 Sisterhood.

The emotional support offered by groups like the HER2 Sisterhood is critical for many women, as are the other supportive care services that are increasingly available as part of cancer care. Integrative medicine figures prominently in the services that patients are benefiting from, and we profile the various modalities and potential benefits in this issue. Our Supportive Care department also includes a feature highlighting lymphedema and the ways this often-troubling condition can be effectively managed.