A Diet to Die For! Breast Cancer in Canada.

Business is so dead that I’m considering calling the local fast food places around here and see if they would hire a middle-aged woman with cancer (does this make me a minority now?) to flip their greasy burgers – Ha! The irony is that I’ve never eaten from the majority of these places. That’s right … no Burger King, no Wendy’s and I think the last time I had a Harvey’s and a McDonald’s burger I was still breaking out in pimples.

Since I’ve got nothing but time on my hands, I thought I would try to find news specific to Canada and breast cancer.

I came across an article from Science Daily this morning that seems to indicate that the type of breast cancer I have would not respond to chemotherapy.

In essence, it says:

” … studies have shown that women whose tumors have amplified HER2 derive benefit from regimens that include anthracyclines, such as epirubicin and doxorubicin, while patients whose tumors lack such alteration do not … “

– April 28, 2009. Science Daily.

It seems to indicate that breast cancers that are not hormone-related (mine is negative), chemotherapy isn’t much of a benefit.

Could it be that my instinct to forego chemotherapy may be right afterall?

… and Melissa Etheridge … and Olivia Newton-John … and Sheryl Crow.

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer, I tried to find as much information as I could about the above celebrities’ various breast cancers, and what treatment options and reconstruction surgery they undertook, if any.

I, of all people know what a private matter this is and certainly don’t begrduge any of them for holding back details … I’m also not a celebrity hound and usually don’t know or don’t care about their private lives … but was hoping that if they spoke publicly about their treatment options and choices, it might help someone like me. Medical terminology can be quite droll and difficult to read at times — this is one of the major reasons that drove me to start this blog, i.e. provide as much information about breast cancer and the Canadian health care system in one place, in easy to read and hopefully understandable language.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find very much information about the above celebrities’ choices for breast cancer treatment … and most of the celebrities seemed to have had a lumpectomy: which is, if the tumour is small enough, similar to digging out a cyst, and means there is no removal of the breast, except for a tiny bit of tissue. I realize that on petite women and those with small breasts, even a small tiny bit of breast removal can be deforming.

I’m not thrilled to hear Christina Applegate say she is “cancer free”. That’s impossible from my understanding of the disease — I can only guess that because she carried the gene BRCA1 (which stands for BReast + CAncer) [link opens to National Cancer Institute], she decided to have a bilateral mastectomy (removal of both breasts) BEFORE any cancer had the opportunity to invade her body.

Here’s a link to another blog regarding Christina Applegate’s decision to have a bilateral mastectomy and her interview on Oprah Winfrey on CNN.

Since Christina Applegate likely didn’t actually have any tumours, she likely opted for implants. The implants were likely completed at the same time as the bilateral mastectomy … and likely why she was able to bounce back fairly quickly.

Ok, an over-use of the word “likely” … but I’m guessing what she did based on my personal knowledge about breast cancer.

—- Pardon the Detour —-

Another option for breast reconstruction is a Tram Flap [link opens to Wikipedia]. If you have abdominal fat, although more invasive than implants, a Tram Flap seems to be a great option — you not only get a real looking breast, you get a tummy tuck, too! If you are in Ontario, these procedures are covered by OHIP.

Information missing from Wikipedia
Will your Tram Flap (they really should find a sexier name for this!) have a nipple and areola? Yes, if you opt to get a tattoo for the areola. The nipple is recreated from tissue from your labia.

Recovery time from a Tram Flap will be much longer because you are getting multiple surgeries. There’s also a Diep Flap [link opens Wikipedia] -a  Tram Flap is apparently muscle-sparing.

—- End Detour —-

… and this is probably extremely personal but I think should be known: as far as I’m aware, if you carry the BRCA gene, not only does the likelihood of getting breast cancer increase ten-fold, the chance of also getting ovarian cancer increases as well.

My guess is that Ms. Applegate likely also had an Oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries) [link opens to Wikipedia]. If she didn’t get an Oophorectomy, this decision must have been quite difficult.

She didn’t undergo the miserable staples across her chest, radiation or chemotherapy that us regular folk have to contend with. If she did, she wouldn’t be in the public eye for at least a year.

In a way, Christina Applegate really isn’t doing us many favours by speaking out — if she really wants to help, she needs to say more.

I asked my surgeon, Dr. Ewan, about BRCA testing here in Canada and he informed me that the tests cost “hundreds of thousands of dollars”.  Yikes! No wonder the wealthy are disease free.

Please, my friends [bad political joke], stop sending me pictures of Christina’s cleavage unless you know what she had done — I have to admit that I was fairly convinced it was body makeup that gave her cleavage a lovely glow because I know what physical scars are left behind.