Gene (not real name) is the fifth child in a family of six girls and two boys. Her eldest sister, the first sibling in the family, was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of twenty-seven. Unfortunately, Gene was also diagnosed with breast cancer at twenty-seven years old.

Gene’s problem started in mid-December 2002, when she found a lump in her right breast. She went to see a surgeon in a private hospital and did a lumpectomy. Gene was given the good news that the lump was not malignant. The histopathology report dated 17 December 2002, stated: “Sclerosing adenosis of the breast with atypical ductal hyperplasia. Advised periodic follow up.” The immuno-histochemical stains were negative for ER, PR, c-erbB2.

About a year after the surgery, Gene noticed that the surgical wound became rather hard and with time started to grow in thickness. Gene consulted another surgeon in another private hospital. An ultrasound of her right breast done on 9 June 2005 showed two lesions, one of which was 9 mm x 7.5 mm x 10 mm in size. The radiologist concluded that these could be malignant and suggested a FNAC study. An ultrasound of the left breast showed a 7 x 2 mm simple cyst.

A tru-cut biopsy was done to the right breast lump on 18 June 2005 and it confirmed the clinical suspicion of malignancy. The lesion was an infiltrating, poorly differentiated mammary ductal carcinoma, probably Grade 3. An ultrasound of the abdomen and chest X-ray did not show any abnormality.

Gene went back to the first surgeon who did her lumpectomy and underwent a right mastectomy with axillary clearance. The subsequent histopathology report dated 24 June 2005, confirmed previous diagnosis of infiltrating ductal carcinoma – Schirrhous type with tubular pattern, Grade 2. The cancer was staged as T1bN1Mo. The adjacent breast tissue was found to be fibrocystic with sclerosing adenosis. The resected margins, areola and nipple were clear of any tumour tissues. One of the ten axillary lymph nodes was affected. The axillary fat was also found to be infiltrated by malignant tumour.

Gene underwent adjuvant chemotherapy in mid-July 2005. The first four cycles consisted of epirubicin and cyclophosphamide. This treatment, completed in mid-September 2005, was followed by four cycles of Formoxol (an international brand name of paclitaxel, marketed in Malaysia). Each cycle of chemotherapy was given every three weeks. Gene suffered severe side effects such as vomiting, breathlessness, lack of strength and pains throughout her body. When asked if she would want to go for more chemotherapy, Gene shook her head vigorously with disapproval. She had developed a phobia for injection.

After the completion of chemotherapy on 7 December 2005, Gene underwent twenty radiation treatments onto her chest well. This treatment started on 29 December 2005 and lasted until 27 January 2006. Gene felt “hot” inside her body during the radiotherapy. Fortunately she did suffer much side effects during chemotherapy.

With the completion of the above treatments, Gene was happy believing that the cancer has at last been “conquered.” She went back to her oncologist and surgeon for routine check up. Ultrasound reports of 9 May 2006 and 8 November 2006, confirmed absence of any abnormality in her abdomen. A bone scan report dated 28 August 2006, confirmed “no evidence of MDP avid skeletal metastasis.” Blood test results of 8 November 2006 and 13 February 2007 showed CEA, CA 125 and CA 15.3 to be within normal limits. Her liver function values done on 8 November 2006 showed normal values.

However, Gene started to sense problem by February 2007 – barely a year after her apparent “successful” treatment. Both her buttock and backbone were hurting. An ultrasound on 2 April 2007 showed a 5 mm x 6 mm nodule at 9 o’clock position of her left breast. The surgeon proceeded to remove this lump and found it not malignant.

CT scan done on 16 June 2007 showed disturbing and distressing features. There was a 0.5 cm nodule in the left thyroid. There were also hypodense lesions seen in the posterior aspect of the right 6th rib, vertebral body of L2, left iliac crest, left iliac bone and the neck of the right femur.

MRI of the pelvis on 18 June 2007 indicated lesion in the mid 3rd medial right ilium, left anterior superios iliac spine, right and left body of S2 vertebrae, head of right femur and intertrochanter region of left femur.

The general impression of the CT scan and MRI finding was that of multiple bony metastases. This was further collaborated by a bone scan report dated 19 June 2007 which reads: “Increased uptake of tracer in the L2 vertebrae is due to MDP avid skeletal metastasis. Increase uptake of tracer seen in L3, L4 and L5 vertebrae is metabolically active lesion, most likely due to DXT. Increased uptake of tracer seen in left anterior superior iliac spine is likely due to muscle attachment.”

Since Gene suffered pains, she underwent palliative radiotherapy. After seven treatments, there was less pain. She has five more radiation sessions to go. The oncologist wanted to give Gene more chemotherapy but she declined and came to seek our help. Gene came to our centre on a wheel chair since she had difficulty walking due to pains. She was prescribed Capsule A, Breast M, Bone tea and Pain Tea.

Herbs Made Her Well

It was indeed a big surprise for me to see Gene walking into our centre on her own without the need of a wheelchair just five days after her fist visit to us. Gene told us that after taking the herbs for three days, she felt better and had more energy. The pains had lessened significantly to enable her to walk by herself.

Three weeks after her first visit to us, I asked Gene if she was just “play-acting” when she came to see us on a wheelchair. I wanted to know if she was trying to gain “sympathy” from her sisters and husband who came along with her. Gene said that even after seven radiation treatments she had pains that made it difficult for her to move. The pains were real!

Gene came to see us again after three weeks on herbs. She looked radiant. She was getting better! Gene told us that she was able to sleep well. Previously, her sleep was difficult and she was not able to turn her body to the right or left. After the herbs, she was able to turn her body without any problem. Previously, Gene was not able to lean forward when sitting down, after the herbs that problem too went away. Gene said she is getting better with each day. She decided not to go for any more radiotherapy.

For more information about complementary cancer therapy visit: cacare.com cacare.com, NaturalHealingForYou.com NaturalHealingForYou.com, BookOnCancer.com BookOnCancer.com

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Tags: breast cancer, chemotherapy, healing, mastectomy

Cancer does not kill as many people as heart disease, but it still claims 560,000 American lives a year. Four major cancers (lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate) account for slightly more than half of these deaths. Important measures for preventing cancer are already at hand.

It’s estimated that three-quarters of all cancers occur largely because of external influences, not our genes. 8 Tips

1 Don’t smoke. Tobacco use causes more cancer here than anything else. The longer you smoke, and the more you smoke, the likelier it is to be lethal. Besides lung cancer, smoking increases the risk of cancer of the bladder, cervix, mouth, throat, pancreas, kidney, and stomach. It may also promote colon and even breast cancer. Passive smoking (inhaling other people’s smoke) causes thousands of deaths a year.

2 Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Diet causes about one-third of all cancer cases, almost as many as tobacco use. Having a diet that consists predominantly of fruits, vegetables, and grains (the current recommendation is at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day) is the most important factor currently identified in the prevention of cancer through diet. Fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of antioxidant vitamins (C and E), as well as folacin, carotenoids, and dietary fiber, which are all important in preventing cancer. Many phytochemicals (plant chemicals) have been shown to have cancer-fighting potential and many are still waiting to be discovered.

3 Eat less animal fat. A diet high in animal fat, especially from red meat, has shown up in several studies as a risk factor for prostate and colon cancer. A high-fat diet is also suspected of being a factor in breast cancer

4 Don’t cook meats at very high temperatures, especially over an open flame. This creates compounds known to promote certain cancers—for example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which form when meats are charcoal-broiled. An occasional barbecue is probably not harmful.

5 Limit you alcohol intake. Moderate alcohol intake can help prevent heart disease. (”Moderate” means no more than one drink daily for women, two for men.) But too much alcohol can cause cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Especially when combined with smoking, heavy drinking also contributes to cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus, for example.

6 Be active. In the past ten years, studies have suggested that exercise helps prevent breast and prostate cancer, and there’s solid evidence it can prevent colon cancer

7 Control your weight. Being significantly overweight puts you at risk for such diseases as stroke and heart disease, and probably also for some cancers (uterine and postmenopausal breast cancer in women; colon and prostate cancer in men).

8 Limit your exposure to the sun. Use a potent sunscreen when you are in the sun. Cumulative sun exposure is responsible for most skin cancers, which account for about 2% of cancer deaths.

Make a few changes, take a few precautions and lower your risk!

Cheryl Duvall, RN, LMT- She grew up in the healthcare field, has been a nurse for 30 years and has practiced massage for a little longer. She is passionate about health…hers, yours, everyone’s health. Cheryl has always enjoyed helping people reach their best in life…health, happiness, wealth. Read more articles…visit designingyourhealth.com www.designingyourhealth.com

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Tags: breast cancer, cancer risk, colon cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer

It’s a fact that every day, cells in your body divide, grow and die. Most of the time they do it in an orderly manner. But sometimes they grow out of control. This type of cell growth forms a mass or lump called a tumor. Tumors can either benign or malignant.

Benign tumors are not cancerous. But left untreated, some can pose a health risk, so they are often removed. When these tumors are removed, they typically do not reappear. Most importantly, the cells of a benign tumor do not spread to other parts of the body or invade nearby tissue.

Malignant tumors are made of abnormal cells. Malignant tumor cells can invade nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body. A malignant tumor that develops in the breast is called breast cancer.

To continue growing, malignant breast tumors need to be fed. They get nourishment by developing new blood vessels in a process called angiogenesis. The new blood vessels supply the tumor with nutrients that promote growth. As the malignant breast tumor grows, it can expand into nearby tissue. This process is called invasion. Cells can also break away from the primary, or main, tumor and spread to other parts of the body. The cells spread by traveling through the blood stream and lymphatic system. This process is called metastasis.

When malignant breast cells appear in a new location, they begin to divide and grow out of control again as they create another tumor. Even though the new tumor is growing in another part of the body, it is still called breast cancer. The most common locations of breast cancer metastases are the lymph nodes, liver, brain, bones and lungs.

There are genes that control the way our cells divide and grow. When these genes don’t work like they should, a genetic error, or mutation, has occurred. Mutations may be inherited or spontaneous. Inherited mutations are ones you were born with — an abnormal gene that one of your parents passed on to you at birth. Inherited mutations of specific genes, such as the BRCAI and BRCA2 genes, increase a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer.

Spontaneous mutations can occur within your body during your lifetime. The actual cause or causes of mutations still remains unknown. Researchers have identified two types of genes that are important to cell growth. Errors in these genes turn normal cells into cancerous ones.

You need to be aware that cells may be growing out of control before any symptoms of the disease appear. That is why breast screening to find any early changes is so important. The sooner a problem is found, the better a your chance is for survival.

Experts recommend that women 40 years and older have a mammogram every year. If you have a history of breast cancer in your family, talk with your doctor about risk assessment, when to start getting mammograms and how often to have them. If your mother or sister had breast cancer before menopause, you may need to start getting mammograms and yearly clinical breast exams before age 40. It is important for all women to have clinical breast exams done by a health care provider at least every three years starting at age 20 and every year after age 40 and to do breast self-exams once every month starting by age 20.

PANDORA is pleased to announce its support of Susan G. Komen For The Cure. For 2007, a guaranteed minimum contribution of $25,000 and a portion of the sales from the pink ribbon charm will go to the organization.

For each pink ribbon charm sold, PANDORA will donate a percentage of the proceeds to Susan G. Komen For The Cure to help eradicate breast cancer through research, education, screening, and treatment.

Lewis Jewelers is proud to carry the full line of Pandora Jewelry. For more information, contact Lewis Jewelers at 877-88-LEWIS or visit www.pandorabraceletsusa.com.

Authorized distributed of beautiful pandorabraceletsusa.com pandora bracelets and beads.

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Tags: breast cancer

There are ways to reduce your risk factors for ovarian cancer. You may want to consider looking into the research and finding a good strategy that works for you. The following are a few ideas on prevention tactics you might want to add to your life so you can reduce your risk of developing ovarian cancer.

The easiest way to reduce your chance of ovarian cancer is to take oral contraceptives or birth control pills. Studies have found that these medicines have reduced the risks of ovarian cancer by over fifty percent for women who have taken them for three or more years. Those who have undergone genetic screening and have found that they have mutations of the genes that cause ovarian cancer may also get additional benefits but more study by doctors is needed to confirm this.

Another option is the tying of the fallopian tubes. This option can help significantly reduce your risks of ovarian cancer by two-thirds, that’s sixty-six percent. This is also a good option for those women who are sure they don’t want kids anymore.

Some studies have shown that hysterectomies will also decrease the risk of ovarian cancer. However, it is not recommend to have this procedure done unless that is a good medical reason to do so. If a woman has already been through menopause or is nearing menopause then it may be a good idea to have the ovaries removed through a hysterectomy.

In addition, those who have more than one child and breast feed them for more than one year have been found to have a reduced risk of developing ovarian cancer.

However, no matter what it is always best to discuss the issues of ovarian cancer prevention with you doctor. They will be able to provide you with screening and a strategic plan to help reduce your risks of ovarian cancer. However, before speaking to your doctor it is a good idea to know your options so you can have time to think over what you would like to do.

Jeanette Pollock is a freelance author and website owner of ovariancancerdomain.com ovariancancerdomain.com. Visit Jeanette’s site to learn more about ovariancancerdomain.com/2006/07/24/preventing-ovarian-cancer/ ovarian cancer prevention.

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Tags: cancer prevention, ovarian cancer