Health Corner - Understanding Breast Cancer/Emotional Well Being

BREAST cancer is a type of cancer in which cells in the breast become abnormal and grow and divide uncontrollably.

Normal cells divide, grow, and die on a continual, controlled basis. The nucleus of each cell contains genes made up of DNA that ‘tells’ that cell what to do and determines its lifespan. When cells grow uncontrollably, they will eventually form a mass, also called a tumor. Benign tumors are not cancer, they do not invade other types of tissue, but they may pose problems depending on their size and location if they grow large enough to interfere with a bodily function (such as blood or urine flow) or put too much pressure on an organ or nerve. Malignant tumors are made up of abnormal cells that are capable of invading nearby tissues.

Cells from the original tumor may also break off and travel via the blood or lymph systems to distant location (metastasise). When these cancer cells grow in another organ, the cancer will still be named for the organ where it began. For example, if breast cancer cells travel to the liver and grow there, that person would have metastasised breast cancer, not liver cancer.

Cancer cells grow and divide at an abnormally rapid rate, so they need extra nutrients. Since cells get their requirements supplied by the blood, malignant tumors build new blood vessels – a process called angiogenesis. Developing treatments to stop this process (called anti-angiogenesis) is one promising area of cancer research.

A change or mutation in the genes of a cell changes the way that cells act. The mutation may exist at birth from an inherited genetic trait from a mother or father or it may be spontaneous – a change that occurs sometime after birth. Inheriting the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene has been identified as a factor in raising the risk of developing breast cancer.

When you hear that a substance is carcinogenic, some substances, such as cigarettes, have been identified as carcinogens, meaning it is capable of causing a spontaneous genetic mutation that can cause a cancer to begin. Most of the causes of cancer, however, remain unknown. Research is ongoing to understand exactly how each carcinogen causes genetic mutation in hopes of then finding a way to block it.

Researchers have identified two genes that control cell growth and division. One is called an oncogene, which gives the command to grow and divide….think of it as the “on” switch. The other is called a tumor-suppressor gene, which tells the cell to stop growing and dividing (think of this as the “off” switch). If the oncogene doesn’t stop giving its “on” command or the tumor-suppression gene doesn’t give its “off” command, the cell will grow and divide uncontrollably.

The majority (over 75 percent) of breast cancers begin in the (milk) ducts within the breast; the next most common site is the lobules – the glandular tissue that makes milk. Most breast cancers are slow-growing and by the time a lump can be felt, it may have been growing for 5 or 10 years. Early breast cancer usually has no symptoms and the earlier a tumor is found, the better the chance of survival. For these reasons sit is extremely important for women to be screened regularly by mammography or ultrasound since they may identify a cancerous tumor before it can be felt. In addition, if a lump or thickening can be felt, it is vital to seek a medical evaluation right away.

It occurs with 1 percent of the frequency seen in women. Although these cancers more often progress to an advanced stage because the diagnosis is seldom suspected by the patient or physician, the prognosis for men is identical to that for women in the same stage. The treatment is also nearly identical, although breast-conserving surgery is rarely used and no firm data are available on the value of adjuvant therapy. Metastatic tumors respond to all of the endocrine therapies used to treat female cancer. Men with metastatic disease refractory to endocrine therapy may be successfully palliated with combination chemotherapy.

Courtesy The Trinidad Guardian
Saturday, September 18, 2004

Emotional Well-Being is about how we feel, think and behave. Nobody feels blissfully happy, thinks positive thoughts, and behaves sensibly all the time – but if you’re in a pretty good state of mind generally, it’s much easier to enjoy life.

Looking after your state of mind is as important as taking care of your body, yet most of us manage our physical health far better than our emotional health.

As soon as we feel a physical ache or pain we generally try to do something about it, but when we find ourselves feeling very low or stressed and anxious we tend to think it’s just part and parcel of life and don’t do anything to improve the situation. Of course, there are times when it’s natural to feel sad or anxious – when you’ve suffered a loss, for example, or if you have to adjust to sudden, unexpected change. But if your mental balance is basically good, you’re likely to cope better in a crisis and recover more quickly and more fully.

Scientists also say that people who always seem to be in a good mood may simply have naturally higher levels of certain substances – endorphins (types of hormone) and the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin.

These are released by the brain and make you feel good when you are enjoying yourself or when something nice happens. But our state of mind is only partly influenced by the past or by physical factors. The rest is down to us – to the way we think about things and how we manage the different aspects of our lives. Most of us have much more influence over our feelings than we may think.

• Relaxation
• The ability to express your feelings
• Achievable goals to aim for
• Time for the things you enjoy
• healthy diet
• A sport or exercise you enjoy
• Work you find rewarding
• A comfortable balance between work and leisure
• Time to yourself, to do the things that interest you
• Time for friends and family
  

• Too much stress
• Feelings of rage or frustration
• Expecting too much of yourself
• Negative thoughts and feelings