Zeta Tau Alpha hosts guest speaker for breast cancer awareness month

holds the title of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

The sisters of Penn's chapter of  DeMichele Tuesday night to talk about the deadly cancer that affects one in eight women across the country . DeMichele, Penn  Professor in Breast Cancer Excellence and one of Penn's Breast Cancer Program leaders, touched on all aspects of breast cancer and throughout her presentation stressed its severity and pervasiveness. But she also noted how the recent advances in technology today have given those who have been diagnosed a chance to battle the condition. “Every dollar helps,” she said.

Zeta president Liz Pecan said that the event was held to spread knowledge about breast cancer to the Zeta sisters, although the event was open to the public. “I'm happy that breast cancer awareness month is becoming such a big presence,” Pecan said.

While currently there is no known cure, DeMichele gave many different examples of routes people can take if diagnosed, stating that surgery is the main and most effective option. She also gave tips to help prevent the recurrence of the cancer post-surgery — eating healthy, maintaining an active lifestyle, consuming alcohol in moderation and balancing levels of vitamin D among other things.

. Ultimately, she said, every patient is different. For example, although one patient may react well to a non-surgical treatment, another patient may see no progress at all. With these different factors in mind, researchers are working toward treatments that can be used across a spectrum of patients.

stated that the research and time going into the study of breast cancer is extensive, emphasizing the need for support and awareness of the topic in order to find a cure.

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