Pancreatic Cancer: You Can Spot This Killer Before It’s Too Late

Genetic tests can help determine your risk—and possibly save your life…

Diane M. Simeone, MD, an internationally recognized surgeon and scientist, the associate director for translational research at Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health and director of its Pancreatic Cancer Center in New York City. 

Date July 1, 2019   Publication Bottom Line Health

CANCER PREVENTION

Pancreatic Cancer: You Can Spot This Killer Before It’s Too Late

Pancreatic cancer is often lethal because it is rarely detected in early stages. Now, life-saving screening can monitor your risk. Read on…

Pancreatic cancer is a frightening disease because it’s usually diagnosed only when it’s reached an advanced, all-too-often lethal stage. But it doesn’t have to be that way. 

Everyone knows about screening guidelines for colon cancer and breast cancer, but few are aware that screening tests for pancreatic cancer also are available. Recognizing the key risk factors for this malignancy will help you and your doctor decide whether such tests are appropriate for you or a loved one.

When a pancreatic cancer is found via a screening program, there is an 80% to 90% chance that the tumor can be removed, and up to 30% to 35% of those individuals will live for five or more years. 

However, when a pancreatic cancer is found in a person who has not been regularly screened and he/she has already developed symptoms (such as abdominal or back pain, weight loss, nausea and/or jaundice), there is only a 15% chance that it can be removed. This lack of early detection, along with the need for improved therapies, has resulted in a persistently low overall survival rate of 9% for pancreatic cancer patients.

Here’s how to spot pancreatic cancer before it’s too late…

Know Your Risk Factors

The first step to staying ahead of pancreatic cancer is knowing how to assess your risk factors. Your risk is higher if you have any of the following…

• Two or more relatives with pancreatic cancer, including one first-degree relative (parent, sibling or child). 

• A first-degree relative who developed pancreatic cancer before age 50.

• An inherited genetic syndrome  linked to pancreatic cancer such as Lynch syndrome, which is also associated with colorectal cancer…or BRCA mutations, which predispose a person to breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. 

Note: People of Ashkenazi Jewish (Central and Eastern Europe) descent aren’t the only ones who can have BRCA mutations. Though less common, individuals of Norwegian, Swedish, Italian and other ethnic groups have been found to also carry certain BRCA mutations. 

Other factors that increase your risk for pancreatic cancer…

• Long-standing type 2 diabetes (more than five years), which increases pancreatic cancer risk by twofold. Note: New-onset diabetes—especially when weight loss instead of weight gain appears—may be an early sign of pancreatic cancer.

• Chronic pancreatitis, which can be caused by heavy use of alcohol (usually four or more drinks a day), increases risk for pancreatic cancer by about threefold.  

• Personal history of another type of cancer, such as breast or colon cancer or melanoma. 

• Smoking. About 25% of all pancreatic cancer cases are associated with smoking.

• Age. Most people with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed after age 45.

• Gender. Men are slightly more at risk than women. 

• Obesity. People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more are 20% more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

• Workplace exposure to certain chemicals. Research has found significant links between workplace exposure to chemicals, such as pesticides, asbestos, benzene and chlorinated hydrocarbons, and increased risk for pancreatic cancer.

• Diet. Eating a diet high in processed meats and/or red meat has been linked to increased risk for pancreatic cancer. For every 50 g of processed meat consumed daily (roughly the equivalent of one hot dog or four strips of bacon), risk for pancreatic cancer increases by 19%. The increased risk linked to red meat consumption is less significant but also present—especially in men.

Important: An easy-to-use online Pancreatic Cancer Risk Assessment tool (Find-PanCancer-Early.org) can help determine your risk level based on your answers to a few brief questions about your personal and family medical history. You also can work with your own physician to do a thorough family history if you’re more comfortable with that approach.

Next Steps

If you have any risk factors for pancreatic cancer that are controllable, take immediate action. For example, stop smoking…reduce or eliminate alcohol if you are a heavy drinker…lose weight if you’re overweight…and avoid diabetes or treat it if you’ve already been diagnosed with this condition.  

Meanwhile, if you have a family history of pancreatic cancer, talk to your doctor about getting your DNA examined through germline genetic testing, a blood test that looks for specific hereditary mutations in your cells and can help determine your risk. The cost of germline testing has plummeted in recent years, and there are validated tests that check a panel of gene mutations that can be performed for as little as $250. In individuals with a family history of pancreatic cancer, germline testing is typically covered by insurance.

Guidelines published in 2018 in Journal of Clinical Oncology recommend that all patients with pancreatic cancer consider having germline testing. Individuals with a strong family history of pancreatic cancer also are advised to undergo testing and screening. 

At the multidisciplinary Pancreatic Cancer Center at the NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, we found that 15% of pancreatic cancer patients have a germline mutation (also known as a “hereditary mutation”) that increased the patient’s risk of developing the disease, even if a strong family history wasn’t present. 

Knowing whether such a hereditary, or germline, mutation is present in a pancreatic cancer patient may change the treatment strategy…and have implications for testing siblings and children who might also be at higher risk. 

Genetic counseling will help you understand the test results and decide whether it’s appropriate to consider enrolling in a screening program run by specialists in pancreatic cancer. To locate a certified genetics counselor, consult the National Society of Genetic Counselors at NSGC.org.

If an individual is deemed to be high risk, annual imaging of the pancreas is recommended. Two types of tests are used—a pancreatic MRI/MRCP (a special type of MRI)…and an endoscopic ultrasound (EUS).

We usually start with the MRI/MRCP and then check with an EUS the next year, alternating the exams each year. The two tests are complementary and examine the pancreas in slightly different ways. Insurance should cover these tests. 

The MRI is noninvasive. With EUS, an upper endoscopy is performed, passing a thin scope down the esophagus into the stomach and the first part of the small intestine after sedation is given (much like a colonoscopy, but no prep is needed). The scope has an ultrasound probe at the end, and the pancreas can be readily visualized, as it is next to the stomach.

Both tests have only very minor risks, but it’s important that the screening be done in a multidisciplinary clinic where there’s collaboration among various health-care providers, such as genetic counselors, gastroenterologists, pancreatic surgeons, radiologists and social workers as well as a tumor board, where this team of experts, along with oncologists, meets to discuss each patient’s unique situation. Pancreatic cancer is a complicated disease, and decision-making in high-risk individuals is best done with an experienced team guiding your care.

Important: Even with a genetic mutation linked to pancreatic cancer, most people will not get the disease. But with an increased risk, it is crucial to know that screening can be an effective strategy to combat pancreatic cancer. I tell my patients, knowledge is power. As we do a better job in identifying individuals at risk, we will be much better positioned to shift the disease from the advanced state to one in which many more patients have easier-to-treat, surgically resectable disease.

With a concerted effort in early detection (and prevention), along with the development of more effective therapies and clinical trial strategies, it is likely that we will see a change in survival in pancreatic cancer patients in the coming years—and it’s about time. 

This is a rapidly moving field, so ask questions and seek information from doctors who are at the forefront of the research. 

Getting the Best Care

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCan.org) is a patient-advocacy group that serves as a resource for finding a high-quality pancreatic cancer center. It’s the driving force behind Precision Promise, a multicenter “adaptive” clinical trial initiative that allows multiple novel therapies to be evaluated alongside standard-of-care approaches to speed the development of new treatments.

Other excellent resources: Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation (RolfeFoundation.org), a nonprofit dedicated to early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, research that aims to cure the disease and resources for patients and their families…and Project Purple (ProjectPurple.org), another nonprofit group that funds research to defeat pancreatic cancer and supports patients and their families.

https://bottomlineinc.com/health/cancer-prevention/pancreatic-cancer-you-can-spot-this-killer-before-its-too-late

Widening access to genetic services for ovarian cancer

Training oncologists and gynaecologists to provide cancer genetic services, which was previously offered by clinical geneticists only, improved access to genetic testing, according to the Mainstreaming Genetic Counselling for Genetic Testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Malaysian Ovarian Cancer Patients (Magic) study by Cancer Research Malaysia (CRM).

APRIL 27, 2019 HEALTH

BY STAR2.COM

With a drug to treat BRCA mutations available, genetic testing and counselling for ovarian cancer patients is essential. — 123rf.com

Lead researcher and CRM genetic counsellor Yoon Sook Yee said: “In the past, genetic testing in ovarian cancer was limited to a small number of patients with the aim of identifying relatives at risk.

“Now that there is a drug to treat cancer patients with BRCA mutations, genetic counselling and testing is recommended for all patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.

“This has increased the number of patients who qualify for testing and specialised centres may become overloaded.

“This is the first nationwide study for ovarian cancer, which we set up to assess if we can improve access to genetic counselling by training oncologists and gynaecologists to provide genetic information.”

“Mainstreaming genetic testing and counselling to local hospitals is a strategy to cope with the increased volume of patients,” said consultant gynae-oncologist and study co-lead Prof Dr Woo Yin Ling.

“This is ideal for a large country like Malaysia where specialised centres are concentrated in the capital, yet the majority of the population live elsewhere.

“Patients found to have a BRCA mutation still need to be referred to a specialised cancer genetic clinic, but it becomes a smaller group.”

Consultant clinical geneticist and study co-lead Prof Dr Thong Meow Keong added: “We were concerned whether oncologists and gynae-oncologists could offer these new services in busy clinics that usually focus on treatment, rather than management of cancer risk.

“This study shows that moving the genetic counselling process to the community may be feasible and could be rolled out across Malaysia.”

The Magic study began in 2016, and to date, 68 gynae-oncologists and oncologists from 23 hospitals across Malaysia have been trained to provide genetic counselling to newly-diagnosed ovarian cancer patients.

A total of 600 patients had been counselled two years into the study, and results show that one in eight (13%) have altered BRCA genes.

“Nearly half did not suspect that they had a genetic alteration because no one else in the family had developed cancer.

“Through the national study, we were able to provide each patient, no matter where they lived in Malaysia, with information that could help prevent future cancers in the family,” said Yoon.

While patients in the local and specialised counselling arms were equally satisfied with the counselling they received, the local arm had four times more participants.

Yoon said: “Patients seem to prefer local appointments, so if they are referred by their oncologist or gynaecologist to another centre for genetic counselling, they are less likely to go.”

Preliminary results show that most patients were satisfied with their counselling experience, felt informed about their choices, and found it easy to decide to go ahead with genetic testing.

Yoon said: “These are preliminary results, but mainstreaming of genetic counselling in Malaysia may be a feasible model to improve access to genetic testing services for patients with ovarian cancer.

“If successful, this model could be adopted for other cancers and in other parts of South-East Asia.”

She added: “Cancer is still a taboo subject in Malaysia and there is a fatalistic attitude to hereditary conditions.

“Genetic information can cause conflict in families and the data we are collecting on the psychosocial impact of genetic testing will provide insights into the psychosocial challenges.

“With this knowledge, we can focus on interventions to overcome these challenges.”

Read more at https://www.star2.com/health/2019/04/27/genetic-services-for-ovarian-cancer/

New blood test for advanced prostate cancer

A revolutionary three-in-one blood test could pave the way to precision-personalised treatment for advanced prostate cancer, say scientists.

By PA  19 Jun 2017, 0:15

Updated: 19 Jun 2017, 0:15

The test has the potential to transform the way the disease is tackled by targeting specific gene mutations, it is claimed.

By looking for cancer DNA in blood samples, researchers were able to identify men with defective BRCA genes who were likely to benefit from a class of drugs called PARP inhibitors.

They also used the test to monitor DNA in the blood after treatment started, so patients who were not responding could quickly be switched to an alternative therapy.

Finally, the same test was used to pick up signs of evolving cancer showing the first signs of drug resistance.

Professor Johann de Bono, who led the team at The Institute of Cancer Research in London, said: "We were able to develop a powerful, three-in-one test that could in future be used to help doctors select treatment, check whether it is working and monitor the cancer in the longer term.

"We think it could be used to make clinical decisions about whether a PARP inhibitor is working within as little as four to eight weeks of starting therapy.

"Not only could the test have a major impact on treatment of prostate cancer, but it could also be adapted to open up the possibility of precision medicine to patients with other types of cancer as well."

In future, the test could allow the PARP inhibitor olaparib to become a standard treatment for advanced prostate cancer, by targeting those most likely to benefit, picking up early signs that the drug might not be working, and monitoring for emerging resistance.

PARP inhibitors such as olaparib block an enzyme used by cancer cells with defective BRCA 1 and 2 genes to repair their DNA.

When PARP is disabled, the cells die. 

The drugs do not generally work on cancer cells with functioning BRCA genes, because these are primary DNA repair tools that make PARP unnecessary.

While some patients respond to the drugs for years, others either fail to respond at an early stage or develop resistant cancer.

The new test, described in the journal Cancer Discovery, was developed with the help of 49 patients enrolled in TOPARP-A, a Phase II clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of olaparib.

Men responding to the drug were found to experience an average drop in circulating cancer DNA of 49.6% after eight weeks of treatment. In contrast, cancer DNA levels rose by 2.1% in patients who did not respond.

Patients whose cancer DNA blood levels were lowered by olaparib survived an average of 17 months compared with 10.1 months for those whose levels remained high.

The scientists also conducted a detailed investigation of the genetic changes in cancer DNA among men who stopped responding to olaparib.

They found that the cells acquired genetic changes that cancelled out the DNA repair defects making them susceptible to the drug.

Professor Paul Workman, chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, said: "Blood tests for cancer promise to be truly revolutionary.

"They are cheap and simple to use, but most importantly, because they aren't invasive, they can be employed or applied to routinely monitor patients to spot early if treatment is failing - offering patients the best chance of surviving their disease.

"This test is particularly exciting because it is multi-purpose, designed for use both before and after treatment, and using both the absolute amounts of cancer DNA in the bloodstream and also a readout of the specific mutations within that genetic material.

"We believe it can usher in a new era of precision medicine for prostate cancer."

Each year, around 47,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 11,000 die from the disease.

Dr Matthew Hobbs, deputy director of research at the charity Prostate Cancer UK, which funded the research, said: "It's clear that we need to move away from the current one-size-fits-all approach to much more targeted treatment methods.

"The results from this study and others like it are crucial as they give an important understanding of the factors that drive certain prostate cancers, or make them vulnerable to specific treatments."

http://www.aol.co.uk/living/2017/06/18/new-blood-test-could-see-personalised-treatment-for-advanced-pr/

5lb weight loss cuts breast cancer death risk by two-thirds

By Laura Donnelly, Health Editor, San Antonio

11:41PM GMT 12 Dec 2014

This post is on Healthwise

A woman weighing herself on a set of scales Photo: Alamy

Losing less than half a stone could dramatically reduce the chance of dying from breast cancer, research suggests.

Trials on 2,400 women treated for breast cancer found that death rates a decade later were almost 70 per cent lower among those with some of the deadliest cancers who had lost weight.

Experts hailed the findings as “extraordinarily important” and said diet appeared to be as effective as any drug in tackling some forms of the disease.

The Women’s Intervention Nutrition Study tracked thousands of women for two decades after they were treated for breast cancer, to see if changes in diet could reduce the chance of disease recurrence.

Women were put into two groups, with half put on a low-fat diet. Findings presented to the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium show that those who achieved a modest weight loss – around 6lb – and maintained it for five years had lower death rates over the next two decades. The most significant differences were among the 20 per cent of women who had types of cancer that are not linked to hormones.

This group includes triple negative cancers and those which stem from faulty genes, such as BRCA1, which prompted the actress Angelina Jolie to undergo a double mastectomy last year.

Such cancers have the fewest treatment options, and the worst prognosis if not caught early.

Death rates among these women fell by 70 per cent in a decade for those who lost at least 5lb. Even 20 years on, death rates were halved, the study, led by Harbor-UCLA Medical Centre, found.

Dr Rowan Chlebowski, lead researcher and medical oncologist, said the findings were “a big signal” that diet had a far greater impact on cancer than previously thought.

He said the research did not establish the mechanism at work, but suggested that insulin might play a part in feeding tumours.

The trial set out to see if a low-fat diet helped women recovering from treatment from early stage breast cancer.

The women, who on average consumed 30 per cent of their calories from fat at the start of the trial, were given a goal to reduce this to 15 per cent.

However, as well as cutting calories from fat by around 9 per cent, those on the regime lost an average of 6lb, maintained for five years.

Earlier findings from the study showed that five years later, such women were 24 per cent less likely to have cancer recur.

Separate studies which cut fat intake but not overall calories showed no impact on death rates for breast cancer, leading researchers to conclude that losing weight was probably more important than reducing fat.

Professor Tony Howell, director of research at the Genesis breast cancer prevention charity, said the new findings were an “extraordinarily important result”.

“A 69 per cent reduction in deaths in a group with few alternative treatments – that’s as good as any drug,” he said.

“For 20 per cent of women, this is as effective as chemotherapy.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11291670/5lb-weight-loss-cuts-breast-cancer-death-risk-by-two-thirds.html

Go to Healthwise for more articles

Prophylactic Breast Removal by DR. RICHARD SCHULZE

COMMENTARY by DR. RICHARD SCHULZE

May 15, 2013

Friends, I am interrupting this week’s Video Blog with a special commentary.

Since Angelina Jolie’s voluntary breast removal story hit the press yesterday, my office has been flooded with calls and e-mails from friends and acquaintances regarding this subject, and what my opinion is on such a radical preventative surgery. Readers are also starting to flood my BLOG with similar questions so let me address this issue, yet once again.

What’s Going On?

It is common medical knowledge that we are all genetically predisposed to certain diseases. We are the genetic products of our mother and our father. Therefore we all have the predisposition to develop inherited strengths and weaknesses (or diseases), passed down by them. This does NOT mean that we will develop the same health problems or die from the same diseases that our parents did. It simply means that our chances may be elevated. I will explain more on this later, and more important, how YOU can AVOID manifesting any genetic family diseases.

But specifically, with breast cancer, scientists think that they have discovered a gene, they refer to as BRCA1, that is a genetic marker for the potential development of breast cancer. The reason I say “think” is simply because almost all this testing science is proven false or at least faulty a decade or so later, like the AIDS test, or the PSA test for prostate cancer (that has now been proven defective), or giving millions of mammograms to young women whose breast tissue was too dense to see anything, which caused breast cancer and so this practice is now condemned.

Regardless of the history of medical testing blunders, many women who test positive for this particular BRCA1 gene are now opting to have their healthy breasts removed, as did Angelina Jolie in February.

And I am telling you right now, that in a decade or two, surgically cutting off healthy breasts because someone tests positive for the BRCA1 gene will be seen as a huge horrific medical mistake.

Regarding Angelina’s decision, personally I think it is an ignorant mistake. We are all just doing the best we can with the information that we have. When faced with possible death, who knows what each of us will decide? On the other hand, she was not faced with death, she is currently healthy, and I do not believe that her doctors gave her the whole picture, the whole truth, and if they had, her decision may have been very different, and not based on fear, disease and death but instead focusing on getting really healthy and staying really healthy.

So I don’t mind her ignorance, but what I do mind is her preaching her ignorance, and being some spokeswoman for BRCA1 genes. FEAR, negativity, and being a spokeswoman for the trillion-dollar medical and pharmaceutical industry that is getting rich by exploiting women’s fears—now she is becoming a spokeswomen to convince other women to cut off their own healthy breasts.

There Is A Positive Side To Testing Positive

NOTE: A positive test for this BRCA1 gene DOES NOT MEAN that you will develop breast cancer in your lifetime. In fact, if you have no family history of breast cancer, your odds of developing it are only slightly increased over the general population, like 10%. Your odds are much higher to develop breast cancer by simply living on a farm than having this gene, which can cause a 20% to 40% increase in breast cancer, but no one is suggesting that all farmers’ daughters have their breasts chopped off are they?

It is common medical knowledge that when doctors say you have a family history, or a family tendency to develop a particular disease, or even a marker gene that can mutate, it is USUALLY NOT the genetic defect that causes the disease, but what the family ate and the environment that the family lived in, that caused this gene to mutate.

But doctors say if you have a relative who did have breast cancer, and you have the BRCA1 gene, then your chances are increased up to 80%. Again, more on how to NOT manifest genetic diseases later.

Bottom Line First

The only reason a woman would cut off her healthy breasts is FEAR. Fear often caused by watching a close relative or loved one die of cancer, or specifically breast cancer. FEAR promoted by medical doctors and cancer researchers who all know better. FEAR promoted by hospitals and medical doctors because they make billions of dollars annually using this fear to sell their horrific medical procedures.

The late President Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, “The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself…nameless, unjustified terror that paralyses us into retreating, instead of advancing”.

FEAR, darkness, negativity, disease, causing us to retreat instead of advance. Wow, what a great statement. This couldn’t be truer than in this instance. FEAR causing us to cut off healthy body parts instead of learning how to shut off bad genes and Creating Powerful Health.

Medical Doctors Should Be Ashamed

After all, it is their oath, not mine, that states, “Do No Harm”, and surgical removal of healthy body parts is definitely harmful, not just physically harmful and risky, as is any surgical procedure, but also harmful are all the drugs used for this type of surgery from anesthetics and antibiotics to the pain killers. Trust me, every single day patients all across America are dying from hospital contracted bacterial infections, cancer caused by x-rays and CT scans and lives are ruined by pain killing drugs and patients are killed by pharmaceutical drugs. There are 1,000 potential risks from undergoing any type of surgery. And I have not even mentioned the emotional and spiritual harm caused to a woman by having this type of surgery. I saw the negative aftermath of mastectomies in my clinic, one too many times.

How to AVOID Genetic Diseases

Don’t let medical doctors terrify you into making horrifying, life-changing decisions! And don’t let them talk you into cutting off healthy body parts.

All that genetic markers say is that you have the potential to develop a disease, like breast cancer. It simply means that you have genes in your body, that when stimulated, irritated or woken up, can mutate and develop into cancer. Well, what wakes these genes up is no mystery, and ALL medical and cancer researchers know exactly what turns these genes on, but they don’t want to touch this subject, simply because it’s unpopular. What turns these genes on and makes them mutate, is junk food, toxic chemicals, French fries, pharmaceutical drugs… the list is long; it’s the aftermath of the American Dream.

Studies in Israel and even worldwide have proven the direct link between cows’ milk consumption and breast cancer. The growth hormones and steroids naturally present in cows’ milk are genetically designed to create a COW, not a human, and consumption of these alien hormones has been associated with cancer. Worse, if the cows have been subjected to additional growth hormones and steroids, which almost all are in America, because the use is rampant in the dairy industry, well, your odds of developing cancer are much greater. But no one is talking about women not consuming cow dairy products.

And maybe the greatest known risk factor to cause breast cancer is the use of hormones, like taking birth control pills or the supplemental use of hormones for menopause. This can increase your risk of developing breast cancer much greater than if you have the BRCA1 gene and a mother who had breast cancer.

Taking hormones can increase your risk of cancer 15 TIMES (1,500%)!

Dr. Angela Lanfranchi, a breast surgical oncologist and cofounder of the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, calls the contraceptive pill a “Molotov cocktail” for breast cancer!

Additionally, there are hundreds of environmental toxins that are known to cause breast cancer like heavy metals to toxic chemicals and pollutants, to numerous chemicals added to the food we eat or the water we drink, to even the containers the food and drink comes in. There are even negative emotions that are now known to cause cancer.

The bottom line is that what causes someone to develop cancer, specifically breast cancer, is not so much the genetic predisposition, as what your mother ate, drank and the environment she grew up in and was exposed to. And, if she developed breast cancer, and you continue to live, eat, drink and even think the same way she did, well, then you can certainly expect to have an increased breast cancer risk.

BUT…

Now here is the big ‘BUT’… If you CHANGE, and do not live like your mother, and don’t live in the same possibly toxic environment, and don’t eat the same food, and don’t drink the same drinks, and don’t take the same pharmaceutical drugs, and don’t wear the same clothes, and don’t expose yourself to the same household chemicals, and don’t breathe the same air, and don’t think the same thoughts, and don’t torture yourself physically, emotionally and spiritually like your mother did to herself, then why would your body develop cancer? The answer is simply that these genes would NOT be stimulated and you would NOT develop cancer!

Bottom, Bottom Line

From a blog I wrote a few years ago on this same subject...

"Remember, your level of health is determined by your GENETICS REACTING to your LIFESTYLE, meaning, that you may be genetically predisposed to reproductive cancer (and there is nothing that you can do about that, that's water under the bridge) but if you create a powerfully healthy lifestyle, again, not just physically, but also emotionally and spiritually, well, you simply WILL NOT develop reproductive cancer.

On the other hand, if you live in a similar way as your parents did, or even a lower quality or lower health lifestyle, well, you can expect a similar outcome, possibly creating Reproductive Cancer. For all of us, the best way to PREVENT genetic weaknesses (family diseases) from developing in our bodies, and the best way to pass on stronger genetic coding to our children, is to live a healthy life. I don’t want to sound like a German geneticist or Dr. "Adolph" Schulze here, but this is a very basic law of Nature. The weak become diseased and die out and the strong survive, and get stronger, and I want to make sure that you are strong, healthy, live long, and that we will all create stronger and healthier future generations."

Finally, and MOST IMPORTANT!!!

Remember one thing…

It is NOT what you inherit…

It is how you LIVE that can either turn on, or turn off, genes that are predisposed to disease. But let’s get our minds out of the negative medical gutter.

I ask you to STOP being medically negative for a moment and just imagine that we also have genes in our body that are predisposed to greatness—genes for powerful strength, powerful health, brilliance, genius and maybe even super powers, physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Let us STOP living in FEAR and dwelling about your genes that can possibly turn into a disease, and instead START THINKING about living a healthy lifestyle and a life that turns your other super-health genes and super-power-genes on! YES!!!

— Dr. Schulze
https://herbdocblog.com/article/Commentary/prophylacticbreast-removal/

Breast Cancer - the 'check-it-yourself survival' Guide

As experts say screening has failed, the 'check it yourself' breast cancer survival guide

By Angela Epstein
Last updated at 4:00 PM on 20th November 2011

Comments (37)

There is growing disquiet in the medical community. The NHS breast-cancer screening programme, which invites all women to have three-yearly X-rays (mammograms) from the age of 50, has been said by some doctors to ‘do more harm than good’.

This, coupled with the fact that one woman in eight now develops the disease – 5,000 more diagnoses a year than a decade before – and reports that many cases are dismissed by GPs who don’t recognise symptoms, makes for confusing reading.

What all experts agree on is that early diagnosis is key to successful treatment. ‘When a breast cancer is picked up through a routine screening mammogram, it’s often cured,’ says Lester Barr, a consultant breast cancer surgeon at the Christie Hospital in Manchester.

Learn to check yourself for breast cancer

‘When the disease is picked up through discovering a lump, the chances of a cure drop as the cancer is likely to be more advanced.’

Mr Barr admits that screening, which was introduced in 1988, could be improved but women should not be put off having mammograms. ‘There is an argument that screening catches tiny tumours that would never have grown, meaning women go through unnecessary worry and treatment. And perhaps we need to better target women who are at risk.

‘All women need to make sure they are doing enough themselves to ensure early detection. There are still women who know surprisingly little about how a breast should feel and look.’ Here, Britain’s leading experts give their essential guide that every woman should read.

LOOK FOR FAMILY PATTERNS

Breast cancer is hereditary in ten per cent of cases so it is vital for a woman to know her family history, says Professor Gareth Evans, consultant in genetic medicine at St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester. ‘Look for any patterns on one side of the family such as a mother, grandmother, aunt and first cousin who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. If there are at least two first-degree relatives – ie a mother and sister – who have had the disease, the risk is greater,’ explains Prof Evans. The younger a woman is diagnosed the more likely it will be that her breast cancer has been caused by an inherited defective gene.

IF THERE IS HISTORY, GET A GENE TEST

The rogue genes, known as BRCA 1, BRCA 2 and P53, can be identified through a blood test. But this can be done only if a woman has a living relative who has had breast cancer and can provide a blood sample. Those who carry the genes have an 85 per cent risk of getting breast cancer. The options for women with a strong family history or who have been identified as carrying the faulty breast-cancer gene include yearly MRI scans and mammograms on the NHS. ‘Together these can pick up 90 to 95 per cent of breast cancers early,’ explains Prof Evans. ‘But some women opt for a pre-emptive strike by having their breasts removed.’

Prof Evans is leading a study into the use of the drug tamoxifen, which may reduce the risk of breast cancer by 40 per cent. ‘Don’t take the contraceptive pill if you have a strong family history as the drug has been linked to an increase in risk,’ says Dr Anne Trigg, a consultant medical oncologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London.

ALL WOMEN MUST BE BREAST AWARE

Mammograms are not effective for women under the age of 50 as the breast tissue is still too dense. If there have been isolated incidents of breast cancer in the family, you can always consult your GP for an examination. ‘Aside from lumps, they are looking for areas of the breast that feel subtly different from the rest – limpness, a harder area or a breast that feels more granular,’ explains Mr Richard Sainsbury, consultant breast cancer surgeon.

More harm than good: Experts have said that mammogram 
screening has failed and women should also check themselves as a precaution

Unexplained tiredness can be early symptoms of the disease. ‘It’s not necessary to do constant self-examinations,’ says Mr Sainsbury. ‘But be aware of any changes – particularly heaviness, distortions, or a change in size or shape.’

A RED RASH IS A RED ALERT

‘Inflammatory breast cancer, which accounts for between one and five per cent of breast- cancer cases, can make the skin red and swollen, but it is often misdiagnosed as cellulite or a skin infection,’ Dr Trigg says. ‘Look out for a new and itchy rash around the nipple, discharge from the nipple or any difference in shape and size. It could be normal but always get it checked by your GP. And always check armpits for lumps.’

CHECK MONTHLY AFTER YOU HIT 30

Dr Trigg says: ‘From the age of 30, self-examination should be done once a month, midway through the menstrual cycle.’

• Using the pads of the fingers, feel in small circular motions round the breast and then move in smaller concentric circles until you reach the nipples.
• Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side.
• Do this lying down, and then feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting.

‘In the ten years leading up to the menopause, breast tissue begins to turn to fat and this can cause benign cysts,’ adds Mr Sainsbury. ‘Cancer can be ruled out by mammogram or biopsy. See your GP, who will refer you to a specialist.’ Be familiar with the appearance of your breasts, checking that they are their usual shape, size and colour and appear symmetrical.

THE QUESTION: TO HRT OR NOT TO HRT?

At present women of 50 are called for a three-yearly mammogram through the NHS screening programme. But Prof Evans says: ‘A third of breast cancers are picked up in the three years between mammograms.’

Self-examination is vital after the age of 50 when breasts may look different. A loss of volume can cause dimpling in the skin and as this can also be a sign of breast cancer, get it checked.

Prof Evans tells menopausal women with a family history to avoid hormone-replacement therapy as artificially raising hormone levels can increase risk of breast cancer. The hormone oestrogen, which can drive some forms of breast cancer, is produced by fatty tissue. So the fatter you are, the bigger the risk.

AFTER SCREENING STOPS . . .

Screening stops at the age of 70. If women wish to continue, then they can request it, explains Barr. He says: ‘By the age of 80 any lump is likely to be breast cancer. Women should be aware of any changes.’


Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2063606/Breast-cancer-survival-guide-As-experts-say-screening-failed-check-yourself.html