AND DIGNITY, AND CHEERFULLY FACES
WHATEVER MAY COME.
Psalms Proverb 31
stress. It is thought that stressful events can alter hormone levels in the body and affect the immune system. Some health experts feel that this promotes the growth and spread of some forms of cancer. “Stress has a profound impact on how your body’s systems function, and stress makes your body more hospitable to cancer,” says Lorenzo Cohen, PH.D., professor of General Oncology and Behavioral Science, and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson.
By understanding the different types of breast cancer, at least the stress and fear of the unknown can be alleviated. Although there are many types of breast cancer, our series of articles will begin learning about triple negative and triple positive breast cancer.
The three most common types of receptors that fuel breast cancer growth are estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR), HER-2/neu (Hormone Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2). Receptors are proteins found in and on the surface of certain cells and act like an on/off switch for a particular activity in the cell. When the right substance comes along and fits into the cell, it turns on the switch. Knowing if breast cancer cells have the above hormone receptors is important in making treatment decisions. (Info found at breastcancer.org)
In triple negative breast cancer, the 3 common types of receptors – ER, PR, and HER-2 – are not present in the cancerous tumor. Triple negative breast cancer is more common in younger women, African Americans, Hispanics, and those with a BRCA1 mutation and account for 10-20% of all breast cancer cases. Since hormones are not supporting its growth, hormone therapy is not an option to treat this type of cancer. (facts from National Breast Cancer foundation, Inc.)
With triple positive breast cancer, the tumor cells are positive for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2. 80% of all breast tumors grow in response to the hormone estrogen (ER+). In addition, 65% of these are also progesterone positive (PR+). This is referred to as hormone receptor positive breast cancer. In 20% of these cases, the cells make too much of the HER2 protein – making the tumor HER2 positive. The HER2 positive tumors tend to be more aggressive and fast growing. Treatment options include Herceptin and other HER2 blockers as well as therapies that block cancer fueling hormones.
Many are now adding natural cancer treatments to conventional medical treatment. The first step might include becoming more aware of the foods we eat. The ingredients in processed foods are being blamed for many of the worse diseases prevalent today. Until manufacturers begin to make products with healthier ingredients, it’s up to us to closely monitor what foods we choose and to include healthy, cancer fighting options into our daily diets.
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