posted Wednesday, 21 September 2005
Yesterday marked the halfway point through chemo... and the last Adriamycin treatment. Not wanting to get my hopes up, but pretty much everyone says that the Adria is the tough part (the Taxol doesn't make you nearly as sick or fatigued).
After a bit of confusion about my appointment (I automatically assumed it was shifting back to Mondays, and had things all set up for Sara G to take me.... until I finally checked my calendar and saw it was Tuesday again). At first this was incredibly frustrating, since I was all set to go back and then it was delayed another day... but it worked out well, because I was able to attend a "Living Beyond Breast Cancer" seminar in Philly.
The topic was Genetic Testing - who should do it? why? what do you do with the information? what are the implications? Nancy went with me, which was great, because I was BY FAR the youngest one there.... there was a woman who was 36, but after that, many of the women were grandmas - literally. A lot of the information I already knew, but it was interesting... and the sandwiches were fantastic (grilled zuchinni, yellow squash, roasted red peppers, mozarella & some sort of pesto - yum!)
Genetic testing is an interesting topic. Basically, 5-10% of breast cancers are hereditary (10-15% are considered "familial clusters", which are not yet defined as hereditary, and the remaining 75% are sporadic). There are 2 genes that have been identified for Breast Cancer: BRCA1 & BRCA2. As you may remember from way back in high school biology, every cell in your body has genes in it - actually 2 copies of each gene (one you inherit from mom & one from dad). For folks with genetic breast cancer, they are born with a mutation in 1 of the copies of the gene. Now, all it takes for a significant susceptibility for cancer forming is one more mutation. For those born with 2 working copies, you need 2 "hits" before the susceptibility. Basically, these two genes control cell growth. There are other genes that do this as well, but without working BRAC1 or BRCA2 genes, you are at increased risk. So then, what do you do if you know that you have this mutation? Well, there is a 50% chance that your children will inherit this from you. What implications does this have on child bearing? Some women choose prophylactic bilateral mastectomy (both breasts), which I may consider if I have this mutation and need the left lastectomy. There is also an increased risk of ovarian cancer, with BRCA2. Ovarian cancer is much harder to screen for and often more difficult to treat. So, some women (if they are done with their families) choose a prophylactic oopherectomy (removal of the ovaries & fallopian tubes)... some even go for a full hysterectomy. Lots to think about... it's nice, because there are "genetic counselors" who you meet with to discuss your risk and decisions with... I will be scheduling my appt for "hopefully" next week... gotta get on the ball with that.
Then chemo on Tuesday (Nancy went with me for that too). Only snag - my dvr broke and deleted "prison break", which I had promised to tape for Nancy while we were out Monday night... oh well... Comcast DVR is certainly no TIVO
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