Breast Cancer Awareness

by Susan Williams

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women between the ages of 40 and 55, and an estimated 212,920 new cases will be diagnosed in American women in 2006 alone. The good news is that when found early, the five-year survival rate is 96%. Over 2 million breast cancer survivors are alive in America today.

Breast cancer can strike any woman, but studies have shown that certain lifestyle choices and personal traits, such as genetics, can affect your risk. Age. Risk increases with age, rising most sharply in the reproductive years from about age 30 onwards. About two-thirds of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are over age 50.

Family History

If you have a close relative who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you are at higher risk. A woman does not inherit the disease itself, but inherits the susceptibility to develop the disease. There appear to be clusters of breast cancer that appear in certain families, generally due to two specific susceptibility genes called BRCA-1 and BRCA-2. When these two genes are altered, they result in a much higher risk of breast cancer. There is genetic testing available, which will allow a woman to discover whether or not she carries one of the altered genes.

Menstrual History

Other risk factors revolve around a woman's lifetime exposure to estrogen, which begins at puberty and continues until menopause. Women who began menstruating before age 12 or began menopause after age 55 are at higher risk due to increased estrogen exposure. Pregnancy. Women, who have their first child earlier, generally before age 30, will be at somewhat lower risk. During a woman's first pregnancy, her breast cells undergo "terminal differentiation" as they prepare to make milk, and the cells lose some of their ability to divide and develop genetic effects. Prolactin, a hormone that aids the breast in creating milk, may increase risk at higher levels. However, a woman's levels of prolactin become permanently lower after her first pregnancy.

Oral Contraceptives

Another aspect of estrogen exposure is the use of oral contraceptives over a long period of time. Studies have found that women under the age of 35 who have used birth control pills for 10+ years are at increased risk.

Exercise

Women who exercise regularly four times a week or more are at lower risk, as exercise helps boost the immune system and lower estrogen levels. Diet. High-fat diets can increase risk. Fat is known to trigger increased levels of estrogen, which leads to tumor growth. Eating a low-fat, nutritious diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables can reduce this risk. Alcohol. Women who drink regularly several times a week or more have a much higher risk of developing breast cancer. The more alcohol that is consumed, the higher the risk seems to be.

Smoking

A recent study indicated that smoking may increase breast cancer risk, and more studies are underway. However, smoking does decrease an individual's survival rate once diagnosed. Every woman should follow the recommended guidelines for early detection, regardless of whether she is at high risk or not. Those guidelines include:

Regular Checkups

Every woman should have an annual physical. However, if any unusual symptoms or changes in your breasts occur before your regular checkup, do not hesitate to see the doctor immediately.

Self-Exam

Give yourself a monthly Breast Self-Exam (BSE) beginning at age 20. Your physician can show you how to do this properly, or you can learn how from many reputable websites such as http://www.komen.org. You are looking for any changes in breast tissue, such as changes in size, a lump, dimpling or puckering, or discharge from the nipple. Most breast cancers are detected this way. However, do not panic if you do find a suspicious lump, as eight out of ten breast lumps are not cancerous. Schedule an appointment with your doctor for further evaluation.

Mammograms

Not all lumps are large enough to feel, so a regular mammogram is recommended. The breasts are briefly pressed between two rigid plates to take a low-dose X-ray image. The compression of the breast helps give doctors a clearer picture to examine. Women who find the procedure uncomfortable should schedule the mammogram about a week after their menstrual cycle, as breasts are less tender during that time. Women should have a baseline mammogram by age 40, and additional mammograms every one to two years after that, depending on previous findings. Women 50 and older should have a mammogram every year.

We'd like you to meet some brave women who have experienced breast cancer first-hand and agreed to share their stories with us.

Connie White

Some women may develop breast cancer even if they do not have any known risk factors. Such was the case of Connie White in Greensboro, North Carolina. "Although I had no family history of any cancer, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Breast Cancer early this year," explained the 50-year old. "It was very early and found on a routine mammogram."

Connie's reaction to the news was perhaps somewhat unusual. "From the very first day of diagnosis, I was really pissed off. I had just gotten my life back after having been disabled for a few years from Lyme disease." Previously working as a rehab consultant, Connie had managed workers' comp and LTD claims for insurance companies. "I was the hired gun, helping them cut people from their benefits.

Then after having to deal with the disability system myself, I realized the error of my ways. So when I got well enough, I started self-employment as an advocate to help people with their disability claims. I had just gotten that off the ground and then this hit. It was more something in my way and I never really got into the `poor me' thing. I remained in the pissed off mode throughout the whole thing."

Connie underwent a sentinel node biopsy, a new technique used to determine if the cancer has spread to the lymph ducts or nodes without having to do a traditional axillary lymph node dissection. There are many advantages to this newer procedure, such as no need for an overnight hospital stay, fewer side effects, and faster recovery time. While not appropriate for everyone, this procedure is recommended for women like Connie who have early-stage disease and relatively low risk of lymph node involvement. The biopsy showed that Connie's lymph nodes were clear, so she underwent surgery and seven weeks of radiation.

"I am okay now, but I made the controversial decision not to take Tamoxifen. I think the stuff is dangerous," Connie acknowledges. "My oncologist is very unhappy I did not follow their advice on Tamoxifen and won't give me other options. Therefore, I seek treatment through a nutritional medicine doctor to prevent a reoccurrence and try to keep my immune system pumped up best I can."

"I wasn't even scared," Connie recalls. "Doctors told me from the start that I was the best case scenario. Thank God for mammograms. I always got mine on time and was glad I did."

Carol Bozman

Carol Bozman, from Baltimore, Maryland, experienced her first symptom in the fall of 2003. "My breast had been hurting, achy, and one day when showering I massaged it - and blood came out of the nipple. I was too scared to tell anyone."

She was 55 years old at the time.

"Then one morning that December I woke up with blood on my nightgown. I made myself tell someone so I would be forced to do something about it." Carol was immediately referred to a breast surgeon at a nearby cancer institute. In January 2004, Dr. Kristen Fernandez did a sonogram of Carol's breast and found a lesion. "She told me that I would need to have the milk ducts of my breast removed," Carol recalls. Dr. Fernandez also asked Carol for permission to use a "ductoscope", a tiny camera inserted into the milk ducts to take pictures and help pinpoint the precise location of the lesion.

"Insurance wouldn't pay for the use of the ductoscope because it was a new instrument and not proven yet in the field, so I was a guinea pig," Carol commented, "but Dr. Fernandez ultimately did not charge me for the use of it... and she got some really good pictures, too."

Carol's surgery to remove the lesion went well and she was discharged later that same day. Several days later, she went back for the results. "Dr. Fernandez had a big smile on her face and said I had been given a real gift. The lesion was benign -- it was a bleeding papilloma, but was surrounded by atypical ductal hyperplasia which is found with breast cancer. She said during the operation there was a hush in the room when the camera located the lesion because it looked so ominous, so she was very relieved when the pathology report came back."

But when the bandages were removed, Dr. Fernandez's expression turned to shock. "She even took a step back, and said `I have never seen such a thing'," Carol remembered. The entire nipple had turned black and subsequently developed a painful infection, which was treated successfully with antibiotics. Carol's condition is currently being followed every three months by an oncologist. "I did not need radiation or chemotherapy, but I do take Raloxifene to block estrogen. I have lots of blood work done. I had a PET scan, which was negative for any other cancer concerns."

"Sometimes I wonder if I should have had a mastectomy, which was an option because I'm in the high risk category. I don't think about it much until my followup appointments, and then I get kind of obsessed... wondering if this is going to be the visit that puts me back in the operating room."

Carol's scarring is minimal, though her nipple is now flat. "I tease my girlfriends and tell them I bet I'm the only one who can invert their nipple simply by raising their arm," she jokes. "Really, it's no big deal. I feel like one lucky lady. There are so many brave women out there. I almost feel guilty because I was so fortunate to benefit from early detection."

Julia Collins

Julia Collins of Roanoke, Virginia, was a fairly young 41 years old when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer. "A routine mammogram showed that I had in-situ breast cancer," she recounted. "I had two lumpectomy surgeries and chose not to do radiation or take Tamoxifen. I began working on detoxing and trying to build up my immune system." Since then, Julia has been receiving regular thermograms rather than mammograms. "Thermograms are suppose to be able to pick up cancer years before a mammogram can, and with no radiation," she explained.

Just last month, Julia discovered another lump. "Along with blood work, a thermogram, and Autonomic Response Testing, my doctor determined that the cancer was back."

Taken aback by such a rapid reoccurrence, Julia is following her doctor's protocol for 6 weeks in an attempt to turn the tumor into a benign one. "That includes a homeopathic regimen of Estradiol to help my body make the good estrogen that it needs, along with IP-6 with inositol, iodine supplements, sterol, and Calcium d- Glucarate, which is an important pathway for ridding the body of excess bad estrogen.

I'm also on silver biotics to help with the viral load, and Butrex which helps transform malignant tumors into benign ones," she explained. "After 6 weeks, I will see my doctor to see where I stand. I am hoping that I will not have to go through anymore surgery but if I do, then I will."

In spite of her circumstances, Julia has not let the situation discourage her. "I am now a student studying Natural Health and hope to become a Naturopath one day. This disease has changed me and how I look at everything in my world. I work endlessly trying to help others find answers of their own."