Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. One day in the middle of all the pinkness for the kind of breast cancer which kills people. Once cancer metastasizes, the patient choices get very limited. They can be treated by one medication for a while and then the tumors will grow resistant and the cancer continues to grow. It becomes an eternal cycle that only ends when the patient dies.
That is metastatic breast cancer - the one that kills you. This is where we need more research and more funding. Take all that money spent on pinkification and spend it on metastatic breast cancer.
So if you have money to spend on a pink thing, write a check and donate it to the breast cancer research at the American Cancer Society or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and put a request with your donation that it be used for metastatic breast cancer research.
Showing posts with label metastatic cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label metastatic cancer. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Monday, January 19, 2015
The emotional breakthrough
In a few weeks I am going to get together with some friends. When we were all diagnosed with breast cancer, we belonged to the same 'introductory' support group. Six years later we are still in touch and get together. I have been bad recently and haven't made it to some of the recent get togethers - between being sick and on vacation, I missed more than a few.
One member of the group passed away a few years ago. When she was in our group, she was on her second diagnosis and later had a recurrence. We supported her through more chemo. We still miss her.
Another member was diagnosed with stomach cancer a year and a half ago with metastases (from one of the cancers - I'm not sure which or even if she knows - to her bones). She has been through chemo twice now and she just had another PET scan showing her bone mets have progressed. She recently started chemo again.
She is struggling emotionally with this because I think she finally she is realizing that this is the way her life will be. Chemo followed by scan, more chemo or other treatment, throw in a few clinical trials, and more tests and bad news.
I have other friends who are in stage IV. Some of them cope better than others. Some family members cope better than others as well. I think, now I have never had stage IV cancer so I am supposing here, that there is an emotional breakthrough when they finally realize that their treatment will never end in a positive fashion.
Some people take it better than others. I know people who at the stage IV diagnosis, start saying they are terminal. The friend I am seeing tomorrow, and many others, were seeing the world with rose colored glasses, and assuming that life will continue to go on.
Eventually they come to the realization comes and they have the emotional breakthrough where they realize that they are living the life of the metastatic patient with chemo, trials, scans, and more and it won't end positively.
One member of the group passed away a few years ago. When she was in our group, she was on her second diagnosis and later had a recurrence. We supported her through more chemo. We still miss her.
Another member was diagnosed with stomach cancer a year and a half ago with metastases (from one of the cancers - I'm not sure which or even if she knows - to her bones). She has been through chemo twice now and she just had another PET scan showing her bone mets have progressed. She recently started chemo again.
She is struggling emotionally with this because I think she finally she is realizing that this is the way her life will be. Chemo followed by scan, more chemo or other treatment, throw in a few clinical trials, and more tests and bad news.
I have other friends who are in stage IV. Some of them cope better than others. Some family members cope better than others as well. I think, now I have never had stage IV cancer so I am supposing here, that there is an emotional breakthrough when they finally realize that their treatment will never end in a positive fashion.
Some people take it better than others. I know people who at the stage IV diagnosis, start saying they are terminal. The friend I am seeing tomorrow, and many others, were seeing the world with rose colored glasses, and assuming that life will continue to go on.
Eventually they come to the realization comes and they have the emotional breakthrough where they realize that they are living the life of the metastatic patient with chemo, trials, scans, and more and it won't end positively.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
National Metastatic Breast Cancer Day
Today is the one day for metastatic breast cancer in the middle of all the pinkification. Metastatic breast cancer or any other metastatic cancer is not fun. Its not pink. Its a life of going from scan, to treatment, to scan to treatment.When one treatment stops working they go on to the next one until there are none left. They hope there are new clinical trials available. They endure some pretty nasty procedures and medical (mis)adventures. They grit their teeth and keep on going.
They don't plan for 20 years from now, they hope the make it to the next holidays, next birthday, next family milestone. They usually leave their jobs and hope they do not live out their remaining funds. They live on social security and any savings but still get medical copays and bills.
There are too many to count but I personally know Joe, Nancy, Rochelle, Lisa, and more. Many others are known through their blogs as well. Ann, Scorchy, Lisa, Team OBB, and more. There are too many to list. Google metastatic breast cancer blog and see what pops up. Their stories are heartbreaking as they try to make it to their next family event.
The problem with metastatic cancer is while there have been many advances, once cancer spreads or metastasizes, there is no cure. Doctors try what they can to extend the patient's life and keep them as comfortable as possible but there are no promises. This is where we need research.
They don't plan for 20 years from now, they hope the make it to the next holidays, next birthday, next family milestone. They usually leave their jobs and hope they do not live out their remaining funds. They live on social security and any savings but still get medical copays and bills.
There are too many to count but I personally know Joe, Nancy, Rochelle, Lisa, and more. Many others are known through their blogs as well. Ann, Scorchy, Lisa, Team OBB, and more. There are too many to list. Google metastatic breast cancer blog and see what pops up. Their stories are heartbreaking as they try to make it to their next family event.
The problem with metastatic cancer is while there have been many advances, once cancer spreads or metastasizes, there is no cure. Doctors try what they can to extend the patient's life and keep them as comfortable as possible but there are no promises. This is where we need research.
Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day
Today is Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day. One day in the middle of all the pinkness for the kind of breast cancer which kills people. Once cancer metastasizes, the patient choices get very limited. They can be treated by one medication for a while and then the tumors will grow resistant and the cancer continues to grow. It becomes an eternal cycle that only ends when the patient dies.
That is metastatic breast cancer - the one that kills you. This is where we need more research and more funding. Take all that money spent on pinkification and spend it on metastatic breast cancer.
So if you have money to spend on a pink thing, write a check and donate it to the breast cancer research at the American Cancer Society or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and put a request with your donation that it be used for metastatic breast cancer research.
That is metastatic breast cancer - the one that kills you. This is where we need more research and more funding. Take all that money spent on pinkification and spend it on metastatic breast cancer.
So if you have money to spend on a pink thing, write a check and donate it to the breast cancer research at the American Cancer Society or the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and put a request with your donation that it be used for metastatic breast cancer research.
Monday, January 5, 2015
The faces of cancer
So the picture of a Stage IV cancer patient shows a pale, hairless, skinny person shrunk down in their chair or wheelchair. Strike that image from your head and meet Fancy Nancy. She is in her 70s and has had cancer three times - currently dealing with metastases from her stomach and breast cancers. I ran into her yesterday after my doctor appointment in the hospital lobby. Does she look like a Stage IV cancer patient?
I wish we could all look so good. She had a fashionable head scarf with her Jackie O shades, ruffled scarf and fingerless gloves. She also was rocking leggings with black leather knee high boots. And she had a big smile pasted on her face because she was having fun with life.
As I took her picture she asked me if she should wave...
As I took her picture she asked me if she should wave...
Saturday, January 3, 2015
The Big Bad Breast Cancer Cells
New research (because we always need more research) has discovered that a certain trio of cells are necessary for breast cancer to spread. This is important. It can lead to better tests for determining which breast cancer patients will spread and to better anticancer therapies.
And:
"In earlier studies involving animal models and human cancer cell lines, researchers found that breast cancer spreads when three specific cells are in direct contact: an endothelial cell (a type of cell that lines the blood vessels), a perivascular macrophage (a type of immune cell found near blood vessels), and a tumor cell that produces high levels of Mena, a protein that enhances a cancer cell's ability to spread. Where these three cells come in contact is where tumor cells can enter blood vessels--a site called a tumor microenvironment of metastasis, or TMEM. Tumors with high numbers of TMEM sites (i.e., they have a high TMEM "score") were more likely to metastasize than were tumors with lower TMEM scores. In addition, the researchers found that cancer tissues high in a form of Mena called MenaINV were especially likely to metastasize. (MenaINV refers to the invasive form of Mena.)"
But:
"Those studies revealed new insights into how cancer might spread, but they didn't necessarily show what is happening in patients," said study leader Maja Oktay, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology..."
This all leads to some progress but not enough. The best part of this is that it could help women with metastatic cancer.
""These results confirm that TMEM sites and MenaINV are essential for the spread of breast cancer in humans," said Dr. Oktay. "They also imply that MenaINV expression and TMEM score measure related aspects of a commonly used mechanism that human breast cancers use to metastasize."
Dr. Oktay noted that "the outcome for patients with metastatic breast cancer hasn't improved in the past 30 years despite the development of targeted therapies. It's critically important to learn more about the metastatic process so we can develop new ways to predict whether cancer will spread and identify new treatments.""
But I can live with all this for now.
And:
"In earlier studies involving animal models and human cancer cell lines, researchers found that breast cancer spreads when three specific cells are in direct contact: an endothelial cell (a type of cell that lines the blood vessels), a perivascular macrophage (a type of immune cell found near blood vessels), and a tumor cell that produces high levels of Mena, a protein that enhances a cancer cell's ability to spread. Where these three cells come in contact is where tumor cells can enter blood vessels--a site called a tumor microenvironment of metastasis, or TMEM. Tumors with high numbers of TMEM sites (i.e., they have a high TMEM "score") were more likely to metastasize than were tumors with lower TMEM scores. In addition, the researchers found that cancer tissues high in a form of Mena called MenaINV were especially likely to metastasize. (MenaINV refers to the invasive form of Mena.)"
But:
"Those studies revealed new insights into how cancer might spread, but they didn't necessarily show what is happening in patients," said study leader Maja Oktay, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of pathology..."
This all leads to some progress but not enough. The best part of this is that it could help women with metastatic cancer.
""These results confirm that TMEM sites and MenaINV are essential for the spread of breast cancer in humans," said Dr. Oktay. "They also imply that MenaINV expression and TMEM score measure related aspects of a commonly used mechanism that human breast cancers use to metastasize."
Dr. Oktay noted that "the outcome for patients with metastatic breast cancer hasn't improved in the past 30 years despite the development of targeted therapies. It's critically important to learn more about the metastatic process so we can develop new ways to predict whether cancer will spread and identify new treatments.""
But I can live with all this for now.
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