Posts tagged with 'metastasis'
You may have seen the latest results of a long-term Nurses’ Health Study showing that low doses of aspirin may prevent a breast cancer recurrence. Specifically, the study found that women who took aspirin two to five days a week had a 60 percent reduced risk of their cancer spreading and a 71 percent lower risk of breast cancer death. Taking aspirin less frequently than two days or more frequently than five days was not as beneficial in reducing risk of cancer spread or death. Most of these women were taking low-dose aspirin to prevent heart attacks and stroke. While the dosage wasn’t tracked, most likely it was 81mg, the typical low maintenance dose for maintaining heart health, equal to one baby aspirin.
This is an exciting development worth exploring!
If you are a breast cancer survivor, you should consult your oncologist before beginning baby aspirin therapy. One commentator, PJ Hamel, suggests the following (http://www.healthcentral.com/breast-cancer/c/78/104011/recurrence?ic=6006):
•If you’re in active treatment (surgery, chemo, radiation), don’t self-medicate with aspirin; it can interfere with your other treatments.
•If you’re on long-term hormone therapy or past all cancer treatment, ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of aspirin in general.
•If your doctor feels you’re at minimal risk for adverse side effects from aspirin and you understand those risks yourself, and accept them – then you might consider a low dose.
I believe this is sound advice. At my primary doctor’s urging I have been taking baby aspirin seven days a week for the past two years to maintain a healthy heart. Perhaps I shall cut down to weekday doses, since the study suggests that 2-5 days of treatment is optimal. This reassuring news is timely to me, because I go off my aromatase inhibitor (Arimidex) in a week.
A report on this study can be found at: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61F56Q20100216.
Blessings to you all!
Jan
Red wine has an aspirin-like effect, reducing the blood’s ability to clot, and also contains antioxidants. It’s great for the heart, but what about breast cancer? Perhaps the jury is finally in on this issue.
The latest study of breast cancer survivors who consume alcohol was reported in San Antonio, TX this month (http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/SABCS/17444). Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the eight-year research project showed that early-stage breast cancer survivors who drank an average of at least three to four alcoholic beverages per week had a 34 percent higher risk of recurrence than those who drank less than one drink per week or no alcohol. (One drink is defined as a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce glass of beer, or a 1.5-ounce shot of liquor.) This risk was even higher for those who were post-menopausal, overweight or obese.
Per WEEK, not per day? So much for enjoying the entire Mediterranean diet guilt-free.
Precisely how alcohol consumption influences breast cancer risk is not fully understood, says the lead researcher on the study, Marilyn L. Kwan, Ph.D., a staff scientist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA. But estrogen, which fuels the growth of most types of breast cancer, is likely a culprit. “It has been suggested that alcohol could increase the risk of breast cancer by increasing estrogen metabolism and circulating levels of estrogen, thus promoting growth of the tumor,” says Dr. Kwan. “A similar mechanism might be responsible for increasing the risk of breast cancer recurrence.”
As a lymphedema patient-advocate I know Dr. Kwan and have great respect for her work. I plan to take her research seriously.
During the seven years between my first diagnosis and my recurrence, I might have averaged at least three drinks of wine a week. I’m post-menopausal, although not overweight. And I will be going off Arimidex (which reduces estrogen levels in the body) in early March. Therefore, I will call my oncologist to determine what these results mean for me. It appears from the study that two drinks a week did not increase the risk of recurrence, but is that okay for me personally?
Like Dr. Kwan, I encourage early-stage breast cancer survivors or their caregivers to consult their medical professionals to assess personal risk. Breast cancer is such a diverse disease, and red wine in small-to-moderate amounts might benefit those with a personal or family history of heart disease.
My poor oncologist. Is he prepared for my next question-of-the-week about lifestyle choices? But I am compelled to ask. A second recurrence is not one of my New Year’s resolutions! And non-alcoholic drinks can be pretty tasty. Just ask my non-imbibing Christian friends, who engage wine-drinking Christians in constant debates about the biblical propriety of consuming alcohol.
Here’s a Martinelli’s toast to your health for the New Year, and a very Merry Christmas.
Jan
A large majority of patients (95%) appreciated honesty in their doctor regarding their odds of survival and how long they might live. Prostate cancer survivors were more likely than lung cancer patients to want their doctors to be upfront about survival chances: 97% vs. 91%.
In addition, the survey revealed that patients welcome informality in their doctors. Almost 75% preferred to be addressed only by their first name, and even more were fine with their doctor not wearing a white coat. Most wouldn’t mind a hug after two months of radiotherapy, and a third of women cancer survivors indicated a desire to have their hands held by their oncologists during critical office visits.
Further survey findings reveal that most patients (84%) welcome a detailed explanation of their treatment plan, and an even higher percentage (95%) said they want their physician to use laypersons’ terms when discussing the details.
As to spiritual matters, 40% of survey respondents indicated they would like to share their own beliefs with their doctor. The results indicated that patients don’t appreciate doctors imposing their own spiritual views, but would like doctors to affirm the individual patient’s own belief system.
I consider these findings refreshing. Patients long for an informal, straight-forward and detailed conversation with their oncologists, similar to what we had before doctors stopped making house calls. Anything the doctors can do to incorporate these findings into their practice would be very beneficial for cancer survivors struggling to understand their prognosis and treatment options. The personal touch is in.
As Breast Cancer Awareness month winds down, if you are a survivor, remember to thank the people in your life who have supported you throughout your cancer journey. It may be your husband who measures the liquid in your surgical drains. It may be your prayer partner a continent away who listens without judgment to your fears and doubts. It may be your church friend who provides meals or cleans your house after surgery. Or it may be your coworker who covers for you seamlessly when you miss work to visit the doctor. These angels on earth enable us to bear our burdens more gracefully. Kudos and blessings to all these selfless caregivers.
The main treatment for most breast cancers is surgery to remove either the affected part of the breast (lumpectomy) or the entire breast (mastectomy). If the cancer has spread, however, surgery is generally only offered if the breast tumor causes pain or other symptoms.
A new study reported in WebMD Health News challenges this thinking about women diagnosed late with breast cancer. A recent review of pertinent medical records reveals that patients whose cancer had already metastasized to other parts of the body lived about a year and a half longer if their breast tumor was surgically removed. Women should ask their doctors about these new research findings, which, if confirmed, may lead to major changes in treatment of this population of patients. For further information see: http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20090922/surgery-improves-late-stage-breast-cancer?ecd=wnl_brc_092909
March 8, 2009 – Cancer Cell journal news: Institute of Cancer Research scientists have found that an enzyme called LOX is crucial in promoting metastasis. Metastasis is the spreading of cancer from its original location, and is responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths. They hope from this finding to develop drugs that block this enzyme’s action, keeping cancer from spreading. Welcome news, indeed! For full details, see http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7813072.stm.
The researchers studied breast cancer in mice, but are confident that their findings will apply to humans with other cancer types too.
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