Metastasis - The Rude Awakening

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  • gpawelski
    gpawelski Member Posts: 564
    edited June 2012

    Regardless of all of this, most of the cells that leave home don't survive the journey in the blood or lymph systems and many cancerous cells that eventually do lodge in a distant organ simply remain dormant, leaving it up to the immune system to take care of them.

    Full-blown metastasis is an extremely challenging trade and the great majority of cancer cells are not up to the task. Even those malignant characters that manage to slither their way into the blood or lymph system, usually fail to do anything further.

    Most tumor cells lack the streamlined form of the blood and immune cells that are designed for cross-body trafficking, shear forces in the smaller vessels may rip the intruders apart. These free-floating cancer cells can remain in isolation from a tumor for over twenty years.

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  • Alicethecat
    Alicethecat Member Posts: 535
    edited June 2012

    Hi everyone

    When I was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, the breast surgeon said it could have been because I had a a lot of small risks - early periods, no children, a bit overweight, drinking a bit more than usual - that could have added up to a big risk.

    Or he said it could be that something in the environment such as petrol, plastics or something that has changed in my world over the past year or so.

    As I grew up near a busy road and have always lived near a busy road, I think that petrol could be a contributory factor- or it could be plastics leaching into the food from ready meals - or it could be parabens in food or cosmetics. I do wonder about radio waves from wireless Internet access as well.

    Don't know but it's fair to say that I was overweight, drank too much and ate too many ready meals when I was diagnosed, so I have cleaned up my act and gone organic to boot.

    There are some things we can control and things we can't. In my humble opinion, if we can control things like diet and exercise, it is worth a go. Everyone is different, of course, and I wish good luck to everyone!

    Alice

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  • wallycat
    wallycat Member Posts: 3,227
    edited June 2012

    Gregory, your post made me smile.  Perspective---thank you.

    Alice, if "it were in our control," no one would be here.  I am sure you have read many, many people posting that "they did all the right things" and still got here....so even though diet and exercise are great in theory, it certainly does not seem to resolve the cancer question.  That isn't to say we should not take care of ourselves, after all, it would be cruel to die of a heart attack when all the while we are worrying we will die from breast cancer, but in terms of cancer and recurrence, it just doesn't fly for me....and I'm a dietitian!

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  • AMP47
    AMP47 Member Posts: 200
    edited June 2012

    After reading all the comments on this thread, I think the most verifiable comment would be breast cancer is a "crap shot": definitely unpredictable outcome.  

    I read the exercise article and was surprised to know insulin is suppressed by exercise.  Although, I would like very much to hang my hat on the per centages talked about in the article for cancer surpression, I knew two swimmer, such as myself, who did not win their fight with breast cancer.

    They swam many miles as we all do as master swimmers.  Insulin is definitely surpressed after a 2000 yard sprint workout.  Yet, my friends were unable to beat back the disease from taking their lives.  

    I must admit, after reading this article many questions came up for me-especially the 60 years of collecting data.  Results from aged data will not give me a clear picture of my chances for beating this threat to my life-now.  Did they even have ER/PR, Her2 back then?  This study leaves many questions open for me.  

    None of my doctors seem to be worried-so until I need to worry-I plan on swimming my bootie off.   Just ordered a new racing swim suit. 

    ~~~~~~~^o`(freestyle)~~~~~~~~^0^(butterfly) 

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