Breast Reconstruction Decision

Article by Annabel Cruz

With today’s advanced surgical procedures, most women who undergo surgery for breast cancer are candidates for breast reconstruction. There are various types of reconstruction, and they are available to women who have had a mastectomy, partial mastectomy, or lumpectomy.

The decision of whether to have breast reconstruction arises at a very emotional time usually at the same time a woman learns she has breast cancer and needs surgery. It is a time when many questions come up about reconstruction, the most common of which are answered here briefly:

Is age a factor? As long as a woman is in good general health and chooses a procedure that is compatible with her physical condition, age is usually not a factor. Breast reconstruction is frequently done for women in their 70s.

Who should not have breast reconstruction? Women who are in poor general health, who have psychological problems that would be exacerbated by the surgery, or who have severe diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, a recent stroke nine-art attack, or severe lung disease usually should not have breast reconstruction.

Do I have to make a decision about having reconstruction before I have the mastectomy? No, but the best time to think about breast reconstruction and to consult with a reconstruction surgeon is before you have your mastectomy. Depending on the type of mastectomy you have, you may be able to undergo immediate reconstruction while you’re still on the operating table. There are advantages and disadvantages to having immediate reconstruction (see below). Not all mastectomies lend themselves to this approach, however, which means it is important for you to understand all your options prior to mastectomy. Then if you choose to delay reconstruction, you at least were given the opportunity to make an informed decision.

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Marie’s #BreastCancer story – a Call to Action

In the photo: The young Doctor Anthony P. Cannella with his mother, Marie

            The year was 1986, and my family was going through a very difficult and stressful time.  During this period, my mother, who was the rock of our family, withheld the fact that she was losing weight and had a growth in her right breast.  It was not until my father found out and forced her to go to the doctor.  She ended up being diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer with metastasis to adjacent lymph nodes.

My family was devastated; she was only thirty-eight years young.  The physicians were very discouraged with her diagnosis, and gave her only six months to live; interestingly she had no family history of breast cancer.  However she was a strong woman and endured a right radical mastectomy, nitrogen mustard chemotherapy and whole body radiation therapy.  To watch such a dynamic and lively individual be brutalized by this course of therapy was beyond description with the usual vernacular.  However, she fought on, and finally she went into remission one year later.

            During the next four years the oncologists would find another set of lymph nodes positive and she would have to go through the process again.  It was during this time that she also developed Celiac disease; a gastrointestinal disease where eating wheat protein or gluten causes a horrible mal-absorption process and she lost twenty kilograms.  Finally, right before my fourteenth birthday she was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer with metastasis to her lungs, liver and bones.  After a two-week battle in the ICU, my mother succumbed to this ferocious illness. The bedrock of my family was gone, and she died at only forty-three years old.

            In the years that followed, my father and I struggled through life without my mother.  Things were terribly difficult and I had to grow up fast; learning how to become self-reliant by cooking, cleaning on my own and trying to take care of my father at the same time.  Fortunately, I have a huge extended family, which helped my father and myself survive during this time.  Later, when choosing a career, I remembered how my mother suffered, and how much we as a family suffered with her illness.  This was the overwhelming reason that I choose medicine as a career; not to stop the pain of my mother’s death, but to try and make life more tolerable for those are inflicted with such an illness.

            Even to this day, the loss of my mother is horribly painful for me.  I wonder what she would think about my life and the type of man, which I have become, and her impression with the decisions I have made.  I would hope to think that she would be satisfied with all of those things and would want me to be an even greater advocate for a cure of what took her life.  This would have to include encouraging my patients and even through social media of the importance of self-breast exams.

Knowing your own body well enough to know when something is wrong is the key to the early identification of this disease.  Even more important is being aware of a history of breast cancer in one’s family and doing something about it early in life.  I implore all women over thirty to do self-breast exams monthly, and have a talk with their physician if they do not know how.  I would hope that by telling you my experience, might possibly save your life and even more so your legacy.

Article by Anthony P. Cannella, M.D., M.Sc. (@apc_md)

Ostracized Treatments of #BreastCancer – Curing Cancer with Cannabis!

Controversial Treatments of Breast Cancer – Cannabis – Realistic, Proven & Effective Cancer Cure

Our bodies are made up of trillions of cells. Cells are continuously dividing and replicating themselves and as new cells develop, old ones die. Cancer cells are different, they don’t die a natural death, but continue to divide and grow.

Researchers are constantly seeking to find a way to selectively kill cancer cells without killing healthy cells. Nature has provided us with a substance that can accomplish what laboratory scientists cannot. That substance is THC, the active ingredient in cannabis sativa – marijuana.

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the most active of the chemicals known as cannabinoids that are present in all of the plants of the genus cannabis and in greatest abundance in the species cannabis sativa.

Researchers at Complutense University School of Biology in Madrid, Spain undertook studies on mice in order to determine how THC accomplished the task of killing cancer cells without also damaging other cells in the body.

They discovered that it does so by two means:

1) It acts to inhibit angiogenesis or the formation of new blood cells in tumors. Solid tumors, such as cancers, require a blood supply in order to grow. When the blood supply is cut off through the anti-angiogenesis effects triggered by THC, the cancer cells die.

2) THC promotes cancer cell death by a process called autophagy. Autophagy literally means “self eat” and that, along with other processes, is essentially what happens. Instead of dividing and replicating, the cancer cells undergo a process of virtual self-digestion and recycling into harmless waste matter.

Because of the ongoing prohibition of cannabis research, very little clinical research has been conducted on human volunteers, but what research has been done has shown promise.

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#BreastCancer Symptoms – How to Detect Before it is Too Late

Article by Bertil Hjert

Breast cancer is a serious disorder that attacks women. It is a disease that women dread about. In medical terms, this disease can be defined as a formation of malignant or cancer cells in the breast tissues.

The disease has been termed as heterogeneous. This means that it is a different disease that appears and forms differently in different women of different age groups. Younger women are said to be more vulnerable to this disease.

This disease can be cured if detected early. This is the reason that young women are advised to carry out a self-examination for any kind of lungs inside their breast every three to six months. They should also go for a medical examination in every six months.

When failed to detect, this disease can result in to some real threatening stages. In certain severe and final stages of breast cancer, women are advised to go for a breast removal surgery or masectomy. This is really dreadful moment in a woman life.

Fortunately, this disease can be treated successfully if detected early. Hence, it is very important to learn about the symptoms of breast cancer and keep tabs on any of the warning signs that may hit our body anytime.

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10 Myths and Misconceptions about #BreastCancer

Article by Tom Schavo

Myths about any disease generally mislead people, resulting in making the disease very serious. Breast Cancer is no exception. For several centuries now, people have come up with self theories and endless imaginative myths that still exist within our societies. These Myths could turn out to be fatal for a woman.

We present to you 10 greatest myths about Breast Cancer:

Only Old women get Breast Cancer

The statement should rather be “The chances of getting breast cancer are higher in Older women”. However, one has to remember that this cancer can strike at any age. According to the world survey, the chances of getting Breast Cancer at the age ranging between 1 to 39 is 0.5%, at the age between 40 to 59 is 4%, from age 60 to 79 it is 7% while if you end up living for 90 years or above, then chances are 14.3%.

The chances of getting disease is more if you have Risk factor

Wrong. Even the strongest risk factor owner may just go Scott free while a woman who has no risk factor might end up getting this cancer. On the contrary, more cases are reported related to women who had absolutely no risk factor.

If family doesn’t have, you won’t have it

Wrong again. Surprisingly, Women with no family history of this disease, end up having it and the form the major chunk of the entire lot. Guess how much? Well its 80% women. So this is the most ridiculous myth.

Family history of Breast Cancer of Maternal has more risk

Another myth having no logical explanation. The risk is equal, irrespective for whether breast cancer history existed towards maternal side or paternal side. This is mainly because you get genes equally from both Mother and Father.

Breast cancer is caused by excessive use of Antiperspirants

There is absolutely no evidence of such claim. No Antiperspirants has been proved to be the cause of Breast Cancer. This is a grave misunderstanding caused due to lack of knowledge.

Morning pills or Birth control pills cause this cancer

No. The recent or latest Birth control pills contain very small dose of hormones estrogen and progesterone which rules out the possibility of any such risk. Research shows no relation between Birth pills and increased risk of Breast Cancer. Instead these pills have benefits as well, like reduce the ovarian cancer, removes menstrual disorders, or any pelvic inflammatory disease, improves bone density etc.

Fatty foods causes Breast cancer

Wrong. There is no authentic research or study that shows a connection between eating high fat foods and increased risk of breast cancer because of that. However, avoiding fatty food is good for overall health and is always better.

Self examination on a Monthly basis is best way to diagnose this cancer

Though partly correct, but that is not all. The most reliable way to detect breast cancer is the digital mammography or High quality film-screen mammography which would detect the early most cancer stage. Self examine is essential, but it may not necessarily detect the Cancer. 40% of all Breast cancer cases are found by self examination. So, this practice is a healthy one.

There is no cure for Breast Cancer

Although cannot be eradicated completely, there are many ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women who are at high risk. Changing the lifestyle like reducing the consumption of alcohol, No smoking, exercise regularly can reduce the chances of breast cancer to a large extent.

If Breast Cancer is detected, you are dead

Wrong. 80% of women who have been diagnosed of Breast Cancer have seen no signs of it spreading to other parts. A woman can live very long even after she suffers from Breast Cancer. Also, the latest breakthroughs in this field has many hopes already in store.

 

However, IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO PREVENT THAN TO CURE IT. And what’s your job? ... Let others know about this dreadful cancer by sharing this article with them!