Honors English 3

Battling for an Answer to Beat Breast Cancer

 Approximately forty thousand women have died this year from breast cancer!  It is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in women today, after lung cancer.  An estimated 1.2 million people will be diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and over 500 thousand will die (World Health Organization).  Battling today, Karen Brix is a 39 year old mother of two; she was diagnosed with breast cancer in September of this year.  After conducting an interview, Mrs. Brix gave me the insight and personal accounts to better understand the impact this disease has on a person. This information is also far greater than any statistic.   The effects of breast cancer, whether from the disease, from treatments, or from the personal struggles, are varied but prevalent and will differ from case to case.  Breast Cancer

The most common way to describe breast cancer is cancer that forms in the ducts, the tubes that carry milk to the nipple, and in the lobules, the glands that produce milk, in the breast.  Most people don’t realize that both women and men can get breast cancer, but it is most common among women.  There is no known cause for the cancer, but there are

factors that can highly increase your chances of getting it: being older than 45 with out having gone through menopause, not becoming pregnant before the age of 30, or having a mother or sister who has had breast cancer. You are also at risk of the cancer coming back if you had breast cancer before having gone through menopause. Other risks include the following; age, starting periods early and late menopause, benign breast disease, hormone replacement therapy, alcohol, being over weight and having an abnormal height, and exposure to radiation( Health Square). Also, you are at risk if you have had trauma to the breast or areas around the breast.

 Treatments

Although there is no cure yet, there are many types of treatments for breast cancer.  The most commonly used are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and hormone therapy.  Depending on the stage of the breast cancer, the patient may need surgery to remove the lump, a part of the breast, or the entire breast.  You may also need to have some lymph nodes taken out to help prevent the cancer from spreading to other parts of your body.  Another option is breast conserving surgery, used to save the actual breast from being removed( Priscilla S. Kwan).  Even if the cancer is removed from another form of therapy, some women still chose to have the breasts removed to prevent it from coming back.  Karen Brix is choosing to do this; she will go through chemo and then will have a double mastectomy.  “I would rather get rid of my breasts than have the chance of the cancer come back,” she stated. 

Often called “chemo,” chemotherapy uses drugs to kill new tumor cells or shrink lymph nodes that contain cancer cells.  Patients may have surgery to remove the rest of the cancer once the tumor is smaller.  Many different chemo medicines are available: they may be taken as a pill, as a shot, or in an IV.  The drugs can produce many side effects, and may leave you susceptible to infection for a while.  Right now, Karen Brix is going in once a week every week for 6 months to the Cancer Center.  She receives an IV of Araiamycim for an hour and a half, and also has to take 2 pills of Cyclophosphamide or Oytoxan once a day. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.

Radiation therapy uses X-rays or gamma rays which can kill the cancer and help prevent it from spreading.  This form of therapy can also be effective in reducing pain, controlling bleeding, and shrinking cancerous tumors.  Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are often used together. Radiation therapy is also used after surgery to kill any cancer cells that may have been missed. 

Hormone therapy takes the natural hormones from you body so they cannot promote the growth of cancer cells.  Hormones are substances made from glands in the body and pumped through the bloodstream. Some hormones can even cause types of cancers to grow; special drugs are available to block the estrogen and slow the cancerous growth.  Hormone therapy may also be necessary to surgically remove sources of estrogen such as the ovaries or adrenal glands.

One other form of treatment, although not highly used, is a bone marrow transplant. In a BWT, the diseased bone marrow is replaced with healthy marrow; the transplant is given through an IV.Side Effects

Every treatment though comes with its side effect.  After cancer removal surgery, most women experience painful swelling and a limited range of motion.  Women may also experience an infection around the wound: ether build up of blood or clear fluid in the wound.  The operation may cause short term pain and tenderness. All women are at risk of not healing properly, or to having a reaction to the anesthesia.  Upon having chemotherapy, some women have had difficulty concentrating.  One common side effect is hair loss, “The hardest part about loosing my hair and wearing a wig was with my youngest daughter Sophia. She’s 5 years old and was sort of scared at the sight of her mom not having hair; she would ask me to put my wig on if she came into the room. But other than that, I just wonder if people know I’m wearing a wig. I wear hats around the house, but when I go out in public I’ll always wear my wig. One good thing though is it makes it a lot easer getting ready in the mornings.”

Some patients may also have thinner skin and may loose their nails. Most women will be prone to nosebleeds, and will have less energy than normal. “I feel as if I have the flu, I’m always weak and ache. I’m very forgetful and I loose focus very easy,” states Karen Brix. She also commented, “Having cancer in the winter is the worst time of the year. I’m more susceptible to infection due to my low immune system.” Some other side effects include mouth sores, diarrhea, constipation, and changes in the menstrual cycle. Not everyone has side effects after undergoing radiation therapy.  The most common side effects though are fatigue and skin changes. Most forms of treatments come with the side effects of sexual proportions; women see a decrease in sexual urges or sexual performance. Personal Side Effects

Treatments also come with personal side effects.  The most common is depression. People feel guilty and angry; they wonder why this is happening to them.  They are confused and scared, and some are even ashamed of their disease. Karen Brix shares her story, “The hardest part for me as a mother is not being able to be a part of my children’s every day lives.  I might feel too weak to go to my daughter’s play, or be to sick to go to church with them.  I’m most scared of dying leaving my children. I do believe that God has a plan for me and by sending me on this journey, he will tell me my purpose.”  When I asked if people were treating her differently she said, “When I first found out and word starting getting around I found the people throughout my neighborhood weren’t as friendly anymore. They just didn’t know that to say to me. People think of me as fragile.  But my friends don’t really treat me any different.  I think it all depends on the relationships you had before as to how people are going to treat you.”  

When I asked what went through her mind when the doctors told her she had cancer, she replied, “I thought they didn’t know what they were talking about. I went in to get a lump in my breast checked in 2004. They did a mammogram and said it was just a cist. They didn’t biopsy it or anything just to make sure. Then when I noticed the lump getting larger, I went in again this year and as soon as the nurse felt it she told me I had breast cancer. I looked at her like she was joking. The mammogram was once again clear, but this time they did the biopsy and I had four tumors in my left breast. My next thought though was fear. I was scared, for my life and for my children.”  Statistics

Figure 1: Breast Cancer Stats. World Wide

The figures in this table represent the incidents or cases and deaths due to breast cancer throughout the world. It has the number of deaths per every 100,000 people for every country.

We have found that although treatments for breast cancer can save a life, like everything good, there is always some bad which comes along with it. Breast cancer is a serious disease that takes thousands of lives every year. If it is left untreated, cancer will

eventually spread through out ones body. Treatments, although the effects might be bad, can help to save a life and improve the chances of beating the cancer. There is something you can do though. Go to www.komen.org to learn about what breast cancer is and you can donate money to help find a cure. This foundation has scientists searching for the cause and a cure, doctors who are empowering patients to continue on through their journeys and fight and most of all they are engaging millions of Americans to learn more

and do something. The more you know the more you can help. Like Karen Brix told me, “It’s just a big emotional roller coaster ride. If you don’t get a grip you’ll loose the fight!”