Is my case really TNBC?

Hi, gmmiph,

We can drive ourselves crazy (and guilt-tripping) trying to figure out what may have “caused" our various ailments when it may have been due to heredity or even rotten luck. As a cardiologist's wife who has attended many lectures & seminars I do know, for example, that in South Central Asian (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) populations, there is an elevated level of lipoprotein (a) (“lipo-little-a") that predisposes to both metabolic syndrome and heart disease, which cannot be explained away by diet and lifestyle--it occurs in people who are carnivores, vegetarians & vegans; moving to another country or continent doesn't affect it; and it is present in neonatal umbilical cord blood; therefore the cause is undoubtedly genetic. In my ethnic group (Ashkenazi Jewish), though I tested negative for any genetic mutations, there is a relatively high percentage of BRCA 1 & 2 mutations, which raises breast and ovarian cancer risk to as much as >50% and those tumors are likelier than not to be TN. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that in your case (as in the national bc rate in the Philippines), the cause is most likely genetic—although a particular mutation may not yet have been identified. Stress doesn't cause cancer, no matter what anyone will tell you. Mind-body ailments like IBS, tension headache, hypertension, even acceleration of heart disease maybe—but not cancer. If there's any dietary feature that is pathogenic, it's higher sodium intake—but for heart disease, not cancer.

Wondering why you are consulting a naturopath, when you have a serious and relatively aggressive tumor. You need to return to allopathic (conventional) medicine because it is the only proven discipline in the field of oncology. It is not true that TN doesn't respond to chemo—in fact, its faster-dividing cells are likelier to be more responsive, and chemo is basically the only systemic TN treatment in the arsenal right now (absent some clinical trials). Your weapon to fight cancer right now till you get your labs back and start chemo is to get yourself into the best and strongest physical and immune shape you can. Rest, exercise, hydration, and adequate nutrition, especially protein. After an injury (and surgery, especially mastectomy, is a major injury) your body can’t heal itself without adequate high-quality complete protein (and that means animal protein). No need to eat dairy once you’re past age 2—especially if you’re lactose intolerant. You need balanced nutrition, and enough calories. Nobody needs sugar, white flour or rice flour, but whole grains, beans, vegetables and fruits should give you all the carbs you need. Fats that are primarily Omega-3 (read: monounsaturated, wild salmon & other fatty fish, grass-fed organic poultry, eggs, & mammal meats) are also essential for the health of your connective tissue, maintaining a healthy body mass index (you DO need some body fat) and digestion. Brown rice is better than white—be careful of the red, which can contain a yeast that mimics statins—which you don’t need unless your LDL-C is high. Antioxidant-containing foods are fine, especially now to protect your healthy cells, but once you begin chemo, avoid the supplements because they’d prevent damage to the very cells you need to destroy.

You will gain some weight during chemo from the steroids you must take to protect yourself from side effects, but it’s not the same thing as the weight you gain beforehand from building a healthy muscle mass and adequate body fat. And if you’re among those who can’t eat well enough during chemo due to poor appetite and lose even more weight, you do need a bit of healthy fat-and-muscle cushioning before you start.

May I ask why it took 6 months from diagnosis to surgery? That’s pretty concerning, especially with TN.

Hello gmmiph,

I have been reading the other posts since I posted to you. I do hope you are not going to get confused with too much information.

You are the only one that can make up your mind about your treatment. Focus on the fact that with TNBC receptor status more of us do survive than do not.

You have already started your orthodox treatment by having surgery and you have got through that. You need to make up your mind about chemotherapy and then once this treatment begins you will settle into a routine that will keep you busy and you will end up hopefully with NED. This means there is no visual evidence of disease. You will then go on to have radiotherapy to mop up any cells that may have escaped. After that with TNBC you will have regular check ups to keep an eye on what is going on.

Delaying treatment may make things worse, because you will not know what is going on inside your body. I did delay my treatment and took other things while doing so, but I would not advise that to other people.

I do understand how you were full of fear, and of course we are all afraid when we get a diagnosis of cancer. You can get through chemotherapy, with its ups and downs, like the rest of us have. When I started chemotherapy I had to give my height and weight because the chemotherapy dose is based on that. I took the steroids given to take home with me for the three days prescribed and I had no nausea or sickness, just tiredness. My weight did not budge during my six months of chemotherapy. It was still the same as before treatment. You can do this.

As for nutrition, we all have to make up our own minds. I eat healthily, lots of fruit and vegetables, organic if I can. I emphasise berries such as blueberries, and blackberries. With vegetables I emphasise members of the cabbage family, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, greens, kale etc. and do not overdo root vegetables.

I do not eat any meat or dairy products. I eat wild oily fish and some cold water prawns. I have unsweetened almond drink, organic soy yoghurt and eat sauerkraut for a healthy gut. I also have nuts and seeds. From the beginning of my cancer treatment I have followed the Mediterranean diet and followed Chris Woollams of Cancer Active. You can sign up to his free email.

During all of my treatment I also saw a homoeopathic consultant and took oral Iscador. I did this on the recommendation of my breast cancer consultant surgeon and the homoeopathic doctor worked with her.

I hope this helps. Keep things simple in your mind. You do not need loads of information. Concentrate on one thing at a time. During chemotherapy keep hydrated, rest as you need and keep looking forward.

Be positive about your receptor negative status. After treatment keep your immune system strong and it will get you through.

Wishing you all the very best.

Sylvia

gmmiph, I wonder if you had your hormone status rechecked. I wish they would do that with mine, as some of the original pathology reports from my first biopsy had errors in them. I was shocked, as I don't fit any of the categories - I am not pre-menopausal, not under 40, no African-American, not Hispanic. The only possibility as far as I can tell is that maybe I have the gene mutation; I do not know my mother's history. I am wishing you all the best in what you are facing, and can sympathize in every way with feelings about chemo. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

Powerfulprayers, your friend must be in amazing health, which will help her all the way. I am 63 and doing everything I can to be as healthy as can be. I still do not have lymph node status since that biopsy on Sept 13th. The surgeon only took one node and now I have friends telling me to ask him to go in and take more! I don't see why because the treatment is chemo anyway. They seem to feel he can't say no chemo based on one node. I wasn't given an option re: lumpectomy vs mastectomy, and I had not researched enough to know all I have learned since. I would have opted for dbl mx. I hope everything goes well for your friend

RE: Your question: Restore Estrogen receptors

A Novel Combinatorial Epigenetic Therapy Using Resveratrol and Pterostilbene for Restoring Estrogen Receptor-α (ERα) Expression in ERα-Negative Breast Cancer Cells

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27159275

May 2016

gmmiph, Please tell me where you found the "natural progesterone ...that enhances estrogen receptors" comment. Pls?

Hello Powerfulprayers,

I have just read your post and wanted to send best wishes to you and your mother. Although they say TNBC affects mainly younger women, it seems it can affect them at any age. Do not be afraid about TNBC. She can get through chemotherapy. I was diagnosed at 63, as you can see from my previous post. The treatment for TNBC is surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

You are welcome to join the thread I mentioned in the previous post or there is also Calling all TNs. You can get plenty of support on these two threads and plenty of information.

Wishing you and your mum well.

Fond thoughts.

Sylvia xxxx

Hello to those viewing this thread. I am posting, because someone posted to gmmiph about her post that was posted back in October 2016. When posting you need to look at the date and year. gmmiph posted for quite some time on the thread I started seven years ago and then she suddenly stopped posting. We have had no recent news of her.

Wishing all newly-diagnosed patients the very best and telling them there is life after treatment and that goes for all those who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. You should concentrate more on the type of breast cancer you have and not on the hormonal status. The most common breast cancer is invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) and is used to describe breast cancer of no particular type. There are other kinds of breast cancer that are rarer, such as inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), lobular breast cancer (LBC) and metaplastic and medullary breast cancer.

Whatever your hormonal status, be it oestrogen positive, progesterone positive and HER2- or triple positive (ER+, PR+, HER2+) or triple negative (ER-, PR-, HER2-), we all get the standard treatment of a mixture of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

With triple negative non-hormonal breast cancer, there is no medication post-treatment, such as tamoxifen and aromatase inhibitors that the hormonal breast cancer patients have and have to take for five to ten years. These drugs have side effects and are no picnic. Be POSITIVE about being NEGATIVE. You can get through this and after treatment you can do all in your power to make your immune system strong.

I am now over twelve years since diagnosis with TNBC receptors. If I can do it you can all do it.

Sending everyone best wishes.

Sylvia xxxx

Hello 53nancy,

I am glad you are happier with your good news and wish you well as you go through the rest of your treatment.

Take care of yourself, be positive and keep looking forward.

Best wishes.

Sylvia