Brest Cancer

Prevention is better than cure:

by Nilma Dole

The Sri Lankan woman is an epitome of perfection and is strong, independent, refined and full of substance. “Today, Sri Lankan women are more concerned about their bodies than earlier because they not only believe looking beautiful but also want to feel good,” said consultant surgeon at the Maharagama Cancer Hospital Dr. Indrani Amarasinghe.

She said that the emancipation of today’s woman has not only empowered them greatly but they have also become major contributors to Sri Lanka’s economy. The Health Education Bureau organised a seminar recently to mark October as Breast Cancer Month and Pink Ribbon Day on Monday October, 25.

“Sri Lanka is a fast-developing country and ahead of other South Asian countries. One of the primary reasons is that Sri Lanka has a strong workforce of women who have given their best to better our country,” she said. The highest foreign exchange earners have been our housemaids and our garment factory girls have made the apparel industry one of the best in the world.

“Therefore why can’t we invest in our women and help them fight the battle against breast cancer?”.

Breast cancer, one of the challenges upsets the balance of every woman has become increasingly prevalent among Sri Lankan women.

“It would be our own mothers, daughters, grandmothers, our girlfriends or even our next door neighbour who can fall prey to this disease,” said Dr. Amarasinghe.

“Breast cancer is a rather affluent disease which is brought about by several factors,” she said. Now that women can delay marriage and pregnancy due to their careers, they are prone to breast cancer on account of their hectic lifestyles.

“Today’s woman also smokes, drinks and eats fast food and also gets stressed as they have demanding careers and breast cancer could creep in,” said Dr. Amarasinghe. In addition, risk factors such as being over 50 and a family history of breast cancer can also contribute to this deadly disease.

“The local media has greatly contributed to creating an awareness about breast cancer but still, many women need to get themselves examined to ensure that they are free from it,” she said.

“The first step is to make it compulsory or even introduce a company policy for every women employee over the age of 50 to undergo a mammogram. The best way to do this is when one receives increments and bonuses,” she said.

If companies can’t afford to provide their employees a free mammogram test then it is best that they have easy payment facilities to help the employees. “This is important because it will save their lives if they are found to be having lumps in their breast,” said Dr.Amarasinghe.

Bad attitude

Another problem is that many women have a bad attitude towards disease because they are prefer not to know about the disease. “It isn’t good to avoid knowing that you don’t have breast cancer because if it is detected early it can be cured promptly.

If you don’t get yourself examined in time, it will cause you immense suffering and treatment with chemotherapy at high government expenditure!” she said.

In saving women employees, the company can benefit immensely because they not only save lives but also steer the nation forward. “Why don’t we detect breast cancer early so that we can send women back to work to reap the benefits of our economy?” Prevention is better than cure. Hence even if a Company spends Rs.4,000 on a woman’s mammogram, it is a sure investment not only her life but also a benefit to the company’s turnover.

“If you can’t afford to pay Rs.4,000 mammogram at private hospitals, you can visit the Breast Clinic at the Maharagama Cancer Hospital on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 am to 11 am for a free mammogram and it takes one hour,” said Dr. Amarasinghe.

The clinic is women-friendly with five consultants and the mammogram itself isn’t that painful but doctors are helpful to ensure that the patient is comfortable at all times.

“Nowadays, even young women are affected by breast cancer. There was a case where a 28-year-old woman from Vavuniya came to Colombo as soon as she heard about the symptoms and signs of breast cancer. We did a successful mastectomy where we removed her infected breast and reconstructed a new one in its place,” said Dr. Amarasinghe.

The surgery involved taking a muscle and fat from her abdomen and redrafting it in her breast which makes her look very feminine. “Today, she is married and she can bear a child but she won’t be able to lactate from that particular breast and can do so from the other,” Dr. Amarasinghe, who qualified in the UK as a specialist in breast cancer.

Last stages

“The sad news is that women in the last stages of breast cancer lead sad lives. Their husbands leave them and they hardly have any more years to live and moreover they are psychologically traumatised. If they had detected the problem in time, we could have saved them,” she said.

Breast cancer awareness should be done not only in October but everyday of the year and the message should be spread to all parts of the country.

Dr. Amarasinghe said, “We need to get as many women as possible to know about breast cancer. Traditionally, a physical self-examination was sufficient to detect lumps in the breast but what can’t be visible or felt should be done via a mammogram.”

Not only women but men too are also susceptible to breast cancer and there were 1,859 breast cancer cases of which 49 were males being reported last year in Sri Lanka. “We should be careful and see that everyone checked because if we ignore the dangers of breast cancer, we won’t prosper as a nation,” she said.

Dr. Amarasinghe hopes that the Ministry of Health will set up a mammogram unit in every hospital in the country. “If we can afford high-tech medical equipment such as X-ray machines, we can purchase and install mammogram machines in every hospital all over the country,” said Dr. Amarasinghe.

At present, there are about 10 mammogram machines in and outside Colombo and hospitals in Kandy and Galle have got some mammogram machines but there are many towns around the island that need it badly especially where there is a high incidence of breast cancer.

“The film industry should produce a teledrama or a film and the music industry can produce a song to create an awareness about breast cancer to set an emotional tone in the minds of the public.

If we can strike a responsive chord with the people then they would definitely get themselves examined before it’s too late,” said Dr. Amarasinghe.

Prevent breast cancer with these simple techniques:

* Drink alcohol in moderation

* Do not smoke

* Do not indulge in unsafe sex practices

* Engage in plenty of exercise

* Eat a healthy diet with plenty of pesticide-free fruits and vegetables * Indulge in yoga exercise or meditation to de-stress yourself

* Get a mammogram done every two years.

What is male breast cancer?

Men possess a small amount of non-functioning breast tissue (breast tissue that cannot produce milk) that is concentrated in the area directly behind the nipple on the chest wall. Like breast cancer in women, cancer of the male breast is the uncontrolled growth of the cells of this breast tissue.

Breast tissue in both young boys and girls consists of tubular structures known as ducts. At puberty, a girl’s ovaries produce female hormones (oestrogen) that cause the ducts to grow and milk glands (lobules) to develop at the ends of the ducts. The amount of fat and connective tissue in the breast also increases as girls reach puberty.

On the other hand, male hormones (such as testosterone) secreted by the testes suppress the growth of breast tissue and the development of lobules. The male breast, therefore, is made up of predominantly small, undeveloped ducts and a small amount of fat and connective tissue.

How common is male breast cancer? Male breast cancer is a rare condition, accounting for only about 1% of all breast cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008, about 1,990 new cases of breast cancer in men will be diagnosed, and that breast cancer will cause approximately 480 deaths in men (in comparison, over 40,000 women die of breast cancer each year). Breast cancer is 100 times more common in women than in men. Most cases of male breast cancer are detected in men between the ages of 60 and 70, although the condition can develop in men of any age. A man’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is about one-tenth of 1%, or one in 1,000.

What are causes and risk factors of male breast cancer? As with cancer of the female breast, the cause of cancer of the male breast has not been fully characterized, but both environmental influences and genetic (inherited) factors likely play a role in its development. The following risk factors for the development of male breast cancer have been identified.

Radiation exposure

Exposure to ionizing radiation has been associated with an increased risk of developing male breast cancer. Men who have previously undergone radiation therapy to treat malignancies in the chest area (for example, Hodgkin’s lymphoma) have an increased risk for the development of breast cancer.

Hyper-oestrogenism (high levels of oestrogen) Men normally produce small amounts of the female hormone oestrogen, but certain conditions result in abnormally high levels of oestrogen in men.

The term gynaecomastia refers to the condition in which the male breasts become abnormally enlarged in response to elevated levels of oestrogen. High levels of estrogens also can increase the risk for development of male breast cancer. The majority of breast cancers in men are oestrogen receptor-positive (meaning that they grow in response to stimulation with oestrogen).

Two conditions in which men have abnormally high levels of oestrogen that are commonly associated with breast enlargement are Klinefelter’s syndrome and cirrhosis of the liver. Obesity is also associated with elevated oestrogen levels and breast enlargement in men.

Klinefelter’s syndrome is an inherited condition affecting about one in 1,000 men. A normal man has two sex chromosomes (X and Y). He inherited the female X chromosome from his mother and the male Y chromosome from his father. Men with Klinefelter’s syndrome have inherited an extra female X chromosome, resulting in an abnormal sex chromosome makeup of XXY rather than the normal male XY. Affected Klinefelter’s patients produce high levels of oestrogen and develop enlarged breasts, sparse facial and body hair, small testes, and the inability to produce sperm. Some studies have shown an increase in the risk of developing breast cancer in men with this condition. Their risk for development of breast cancer is markedly increased, up to 50 times that of normal men.

Cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver can result from chronic alcohol abuse, chronic viral hepatitis, or rare genetic conditions that result in accumulation of toxic substances within the liver. The liver produces important binding proteins that affect the transport and delivery of male and female hormones via the bloodstream.

With cirrhosis, liver function is compromised, and the levels of male and female hormones in the bloodstream are altered. Men with cirrhosis of the liver have higher blood levels of estrogen and have an increased risk of developing breast cancer.

Familial predisposition Epidemiologic studies have shown that men who have several female relatives with breast cancer also have an increased risk for development of the disease. In particular, men who have inherited mutations in the breast cancer-associated BRCA-2 gene have a dramatically increased (about 80-fold) risk for developing breast cancer, with a lifetime risk of about 5%-10% for development of breast cancer. BRCA-2 is a gene on chromosome 13 that normally functions in suppression of cell growth. Mutations in this gene lead to an increased risk for development of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. About 15% of breast cancers in men are thought to be attributable to BRCA-2 mutation. The role of the BRCA-1 gene, which has been associated with inherited breast cancers in women, is not as clearly defined for male breast cancers.

- MedicineNet.com
 

Soon, drug to stop memory loss

Scottish researchers have come up with a new treatment, which could be used to improve memory and mental performance in older people. Scientists at the University of Edinburgh say that a new experimental compound can improve memory and cognitive function in ageing mice. The team has identified a preclinical candidate that they hope to take into human trials within a year.

Many people find they become more forgetful as they get older and it is generally accepted as a natural part of the ageing process. Absent mindedness and a difficulty to concentrate are not uncommon, it takes longer to recall a person’s name, and we can’t remember where we left the car keys. These can all be early signs of the onset of dementia, but for most of us it’s just part of getting old.

Such memory loss has been linked with high levels of ‘stress’ steroid hormones known as glucocorticoids, which have a deleterious effect on the part of the brain that helps us to remember. An enzyme called 11beta-HSD1 is involved in making these hormones and has been shown to be more active in the brain during ageing.

In a study, the team reports the effects of a new synthetic compound that selectively blocks 11beta-HSD1 on the ability of mice to complete a memory task, called the Y maze.

Professor Jonathan Seckl from the University of Edinburgh, who discovered the role of 11beta-HSD1 in the brain, described the findings: “Normal old mice often have marked deficits in learning and memory just like some elderly people. We found that life-long partial deficiency of 11beta-HSD1 prevented memory decline with ageing.

But we were very surprised to find that the blocking compound works quickly over a few days to improve memory in old mice suggesting it might be a good treatment for the already elderly.” The effects were seen after only 10 days of treatment. The study has been published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

- ANI

Bilingualism boosts brain prowess

A new study from the University of California, Los Angeles has revealed that the ability to speak multiple languages is associated with better mental capacities. “Being able to use two languages and never knowing which one you’re going to use right now rewires your brain,” Discovery News quoted Ellen Bialystok of York University in Toronto, Canada, whose work has been cited by Jared Diamond of the University of California in his article.

Diamond began wondering about the effects on the brain of multilingualism while camping with New Guinea Highlanders, all of whom could speak between five and 15 languages.

“The question is: Would it be the case that bilinguals, by the constant need for controlling the two languages, develop a more efficient executive functioning system?” said Albert Costa, who studies bilingualism at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. “The results suggest that bilinguals may have this positive collateral effect,” he added. He said that executive functioning is worse when you go to kids and older people.

- ANI, Washington

Stressed? Blame your genes

Feeling stressed? Then blame your parents as scientists claim they have found an inherited gene that affects one’s ability to cope with tense situations. Dutch scientists at Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour in Nijmegen found that a gene, which people inherit from their parents, influences the ability to cope with difficult situations and keep emotions in check.

The finding, according to the researchers, explains why some people keep a cool head in even the most difficult of times, while others fall to pieces, the Daily Mail reported.

The scientists, led by Prof Guillen Fernandez, used scanners to look at how people’s brains lit up under stress.

In this case, the stress took the form of a violent scene in a film, followed by a series of pictures of angry and frightened faces.

They found the amygdala - a “primitive” brain region that helps keep our emotions in check - was more active in those who had inherited the “stressed out gene”.Around half of us have this gene, making us more wary of problems and vulnerable to pressures, the scientists told the Forum of European Neuroscience Societies annual conference.

Professor Guillen said: “This individual genetic difference only surfaces when people are subjected to stress.

This is the first time a genetic variation has been found that shows a different response to emotional stimuli only when individuals are stressed.” He added: “We are currently investigating whether these people are also more prone to developing post-traumatic stress disorder after experiencing a real trauma.” Stress is not the only emotion to be decoded by scientists. They have previously shown that the genes we inherit help determine whether we have a cool head or a short fuse.e out of puff.

- Press Trust Of India