Calling all triple negative breast cancer patients in the UK
Comments
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Hello Kymn
Thank you for your post. I was intrigued to know that you had been away on a self growth conference. Do you go on these conferences regularly? I was interested to know that you had been on one about colours. What did you learn?
I can remember many years ago when I was living in Ottawa, that finding out what your colours were was all the rage and I remember buying a book about it and how the different colours were arranged. Apparently we all have colours that are more flattering to our skin tones.
I just keep to the colours that I like and they are mainly blue and green. I have deep green eyes and any tone of green really enhances them. I do love blue. What about you?
When you go to these conferences, do you have any that are philosophical or psychological?
Thank you for the information about your surgery and treatment. You had less chemotherapy than I did, but more radiotherapy.
I have a friend who has been trying to lose a bit of weight and she seems to be succeeding by going on a high protein, low carbohydrate diet for a few weeks, but I think you have to find a way of eating for life otherwise you put on weight once you stop the diet.
I do agree that ovarian cancer is frightening. When I read the article I felt that it was such good news that we appear to have a blood test for it, here in the UK, and I felt I should ask to have it done, but then I felt anxious and thought how awful it would be to find out that I had it. Information is empowering but frightening!
I should imagine it is getting very cold in Alberta. Do you like the snowy winters?
Best wishes,
Sylvia.
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Hello Michael
I was so glad to know that you found the Guardian article interesting and thought provoking. I certainly did and have read it through a few times. It made me think of what my breast cancer consultant said to me long ago, when we were talking about what might have caused my breast cancer. I remember her saying that it could all have started in my mother's womb when I was an embryo.
You are quite right about cyclophosphamide. It is an antibiotic. I had it intravenously. I do hope that you will not have to wait long to get an appointment with your consultant to get that swollen node sorted out. I shall keep my fingers crossed that your platelets are in order and that you will not need treatment.
I was fascinated to read about how you interviewed a vibrant 90 year old who was smoking all the time. As you say, it does make you wonder. I suppose it must have something to do with the genes and immune system we have inherited, but I suppose it could just be the luck of the draw.
Am I permitted to ask what you were actually interviewing the 90 year old about? Are you doing some survey about people's health? I must admit that I did not realise you were interviewing people in the flesh. I thought you were doing surveys on the phone.
You are lucky to be having some good weather. Here we are in a nightmare scenario. I have never known so much rain. There was such a lot of damage and flooding yesterday. Today the wind is so fierce that it could easily knock you over. More heavy rain is forecast for tonight.
If you find anything of interest in the newspapers or magazines, please post them. I tend to read either the Independent, The i paper or the Guardian. I sometimes buy the Observer on Sunday. We all need to keep our eyes open for any information that might be useful. I am waiting for the next edition of the magazine What Doctors Don't Tell You. I think it is due out on November 28th.
Take care of yourself.
Best wishes.
Sylvia
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Hello BernieEllen
Thank you for your kind appreciation of the articles I posted.
I hope you are having a good week.
Thinking of you.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello linali (Lindsay)
I hope everything went well at the pain clinic this week.
Have you now got Oskar with you? Please post and tell us all about him.
Hello FernMF, I hope you continue to be well. How is the walking going?
Hello Mumtobe (Carol), have you had more chemotherapy this week? How are you coping?
Best wishes to everybody.
Sylvia
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Hi Sylvia,
Thanks to you and BernieEllen for your good wishes. Its amazing what a difference it makes to know that some one is on your side.
I have an appt with occupational health today in Limerick, 34 miles away. I am going to ask to be seen in Ennis in future as petrol costs so much.
The injections went ok. Alot sorer this time so perhaps that is a sign that they will work. I asked the prof re a scan as I have pain in my hip and horrible stabbing pains in my left arm. I am not sure exactly what I have had .... sounds stupid but at the time I was just concentrating on getting well.
Oskar is here and so I wont have as much time to post. I still have to read through all the info.
Must go I can hear him awake.Will post when I can
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I get the privilege of going door to door interviewing people. I have quotas of different ages and class to fulfil so one really needs to eyeball the area one is working. The survey I was working on this week is called an omnibus. Clients buy space on the survey, so I was asking about sponsorship of sports, dealing with weather related emergencies and the rights of children. So as you can see very varied.
I noticed some posts about pain post treatment. I would urge anyone to insist on complete investigation of any pain and not just a referall to a pain clinic. I am convinced that had Janette done so, her tumour would have been discovered earlier. Still she wasn't to know and it may not have made any difference.
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Hello linali (Lindsay)
Thank you for your post.
I do hope you had a fruitful appointment with the occupational health in Limerick yesterday. I think it is a bit much that you have to travel so far away to do this and I do hope you will be able to see someone in Ennis. It amazes me how little understanding bureaucrats have of the struggle that people have to make ends meet and the wear and tear factor on people when they have chronic health problems.
I heard an interesting discussion on the radio yesterday between a wealthy MP and an ordinary person about whether someone wealthy could understand the needs of ordinary people trying to manage on a restricted budget. I thought the MP was ridiculous when he said that in his job and in his surgeries he met people from every walk of life and therefore he could understand their problems. The other person heartily disagreed with this and so do I. Unless you have personal experience you cannot understand.
I think we cancer patients understand all this and I certainly think that you can understand what a cancer patient goes through only if you have been through it yourself. I know from certain members of my own family that they think that it is all done and dusted for me and cannot possibly know what it is like to live with the knowledge that the cancer could come back any day, spread to other parts of the body or that there could be another primary.
Perhaps we should have cancer patients dealing with cancer patients when it come to benefits etc.
I was glad to know that the injections were OK. Was it an injection of steroids?
I feel concerned about the stabbing pains you have in your left arm and pain in your hip. You were right to ask for a scan and you should push for that and not be put on a waiting list. If that were me I would be contacting my oncologist. I think for any pain or any symptoms that seem abnormal, the oncologist is the person to see.
I agree with Michael that any pain should be investigated immediately. I am not sure what the best scan is to have. My understanding is that a CAT scan exposes you to quite a lot of radiation, but an MRI scan does not. I have had only CAT scans, pre and post treatment, but I have never had an MRI scan. People I know who have had an MRI scan have said they found it very noisy and claustrophobic. I did not find a CAT scan bothersome at all.
I was glad to know that Oskar is now with you and I do hope you will have a good time with him. He will probably find it very strange not to be with his mum and dad. It looks as though you will have to keep him very busy during the day, so that he will sleep through the night.
Please keep in touch and post when you can.
Sending energy your way.
Best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Michael.
Thank you for your post. Your work sounds very interesting and I would have thought very fulfilling.
Thank you for your very good advice about investigating pain. It does make complete sense. When we have been diagnosed with cancer and completed our treatment, we still have to be very vigilant about what is happening with our bodies and our common sense should tell us to take quick action. Sometimes it is easier said than done. Cancer is a very emotional thing as well as a physical one. I think it sends our brains into turmoil and it is very difficult ever again to have complete peace of mind. If we have unusual symptoms I think we know we should take action, but at the same time we might hang back for fear of what we might hear when we go to get checked out.
I hope you have a relaxing weekend. It is another awful day here in Exmouth and the rain is absolutely falling down and the wind is beginning to pick up. There has been a lot of damage in Devon and Somerset. Part of the Great Western canal in Tiverton collapsed and a twenty foot high wall collapsed in Exeter, not far from St Davids, the main railway station. Yesterday it was mild and sunny and hard to believe the wild weather the day before. The roads from Exeter to Exmouth have had a lot of problems, especially around Topsham.
Best wishes.
Sylvia
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Hello everyone
I am just posting a snippet of information that I found in a magazine recently. The title is Did You Know?
In the future, women could be spared mammograms and have simple blood test to check for early signs of breast cancer instead. The new test, which spots changes in DNA, is currently on trial at Charing Cross Hospital.
Get walking.
People who live in areas that are less easy to walk around are more likely to develop diabetes. Canadian researchers made this discovery after studying the 'walkability' of different neighbourhoods. For ideas on how to get walking, wherever you live, call 020733 98541, or visit www.walkingforhealth.org.uk.
Is anyone in this trial with the blood tests?
Raining cats and dogs (and everything else) here. Building an Ark just in case!
Best wishes.
Sylvia
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Hello Sylvia, I have seen the terrible weather on the news. I hope that you are safe and dry.
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Hello BernieEllen,
Thank you for your concern. It is so kind of you to think of me.
I am safe and dry, and although not far from the seafront, we are uphill from it, so in no danger of flooding. We are also on the top floor of our three storey apartment complex.
We have not ventured out today because it has poured down with rain and is still raining. We are also in a low pressure weather pattern which is causing Raymond to suffer from terrible allergies all day and every day!
I am longing for a sunny dry day.
Are you doing anything interesting today?
I liked the quote you posted from Mark Twain on the TNS.
Best wishes,
Sylvia.
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Thank you Sylvia. One of the ladies is trying to decide where to go from this point on.
The weather here has turned very quickly into the minus. We do have to be careful now because we are so rural we have to make sure we are stocked up. Every winter our water freezes, three years ago it was so bad it damaged the water pump system.
I have my hopital check with my BS tomorrow. I will let you know the reults.
Quiet day to day.
Thinking of you.
Bernie
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The maid asked for a pay increase. The wife was very upset about this and decided to talk to her about the raise.
She asked: "Now Maria, why do you want a pay increase?"
Maria: "Well, Señora, there are tree reasons why I wanna increaze."
"The first is that I iron better than you."
Wife: "Who said you iron better than me?"
Maria: "Jor huzban he say so."
Wife: "Oh yeah?"Maria: "The second reason eez that I am a better cook than you."
Wife: "Nonsense, who said you were a better cook than me?"
Maria: "Jor hozban did."
Wife increasingly agitated: "Oh he did, did he???"Maria: "The third reason is that I am better at sex than you in the bed."
Wife really boiling now and through gritted teeth: "And did my husband say that as well?"
Maria: "No Señora......" "The gardener did."Wife: "So how much do you want?"
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Good afternoon Sylvia
Sorry you are having such bad weather, my friend is on his way back to Ferndown from Athens, he is in for a shock. Here is an interesting article I posted to the website:
Epithelial cells are homebodies – they like to attach to things and becoming detached initiates a form of cell suicide known as anoikis (literally "homeless" in Latin). But in order for cancer cells to metastasize they have to leave their homes and to survive while traveling they must resist anoikis – like a third-grader at sleep-away camp. Cancer cells do this by taking a page from the neuron playbook. Neurons are by nature unbound – they grow and link to each other and not to a substrate. Neurons have a protein called TrkB that allows them to survive anoikis; healthy epithelial cells don't have TrkB and so are susceptible to anoikis.
Carcinoma cells are epithelial cells gone bad and have learned to act like neurons, inappropriately activating TrkB signaling to escape anoikis. They do it by a mutation that nixes production of a microRNA called miR-200c.
When researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center reintroduced miR-200c to aggressive, triple-negative breast cancer cells, these cells regained sensitivity to anoikis and self-destructed.
"The reason this is attractive is that we're restoring something that healthy cells make normally. We foresee that miR-200c therapy will be a lot less toxic than chemotherapeutic drugs," says Jennifer Richer, PhD, co-director of the CU Cancer Center Tissue Processing and Procurement Core and senior author of two papers on miR-200c, one published today in the journal PLOS ONE and another published October 16 in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.
In the PLOS ONE paper, Richer and colleagues including first author Erin Howe, PhD, cultured triple-negative breast cancer cells in forced suspension – detached from a substrate. This most aggressive form of breast cancer didn't care – it had learned to be anoikis-resistant. But then the group reintroduced miR-200c, which had been lost in these cells. MicroRNAs regulate genes, turning them on or off, and sure enough in this case, the group saw that miR-200c directly turned off the neuronal protein TrkB. With miR-200c added, TrkB turned off the cells died of homesickness.
In the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics paper with Diana Cittelly, PhD as first author, the group showed that reintroducing miR-200c to ovarian cancer cells in animal models not only restarted anoikis, but also sensitized these cells to the widely used chemotherapy paclitaxel. This preclinical work takes the important first steps toward a human clinical trial of miR-200c, likely in combination with existing chemotherapies.
"But you can't just introduce microRNAs into the bloodstream," Richer says, "because they end up trapped in the liver." Richer points out that for this reason the only existing clinical trial of microRNA-based therapy is for hepatitis C – which, of course, targets the liver. The other option is applying microRNA directly to tumor cells, "Which seems very possible in the case of metastatic ovarian cancer, which tends to metastasize in the peritoneal cavity and is often directly targeted in this cavity by chemotherapy in the clinic," Richer says.
Unbound cancer cells that are immune to anoikis are most dangerous – they can travel away from their home to invade other tissues. Unbound cancer cells sensitized to anoikis by the reintroduction of miR-200c aren't dangerous at all. They're dead.
Source: University of Colorado DenverMichael0 -
Just after I got married, I was invited out for a night with "the boys”.± I told the missus that I would be home by midnight ... promise! Well, the yarns were being spun and the grog was going down easy, and at around 3 a.m., full as a boot, I went home.
As I got in the door, the cuckoo clock started, and cuckooed 3 times. Quickly I realized she'd probably wake up, so I cuckooed another 9 times. I was really proud of myself, having the quick wittedness -- even when smashed -- to escape a possible conflict.
Next morning the missus asked me what time I got in and I told her 12 o'clock. Whew! Got away with that one!
She then told me that we needed a new cuckoo clock. When I asked her why she said "Well, it cuckooed 3 times, said 'dang it,' cuckooed another 4 times, farted, cuckooed
another 3 times, cleared its throat, and cuckooed twice and giggled."0 -
Thousands 'not getting the best cancer treatment because of lack of doctors trained to use latest radiotherapy technology'
- One in four cancer patients who receive radiotherapy in hospitals would benefit from the latest techniques
- But only four cancer centres out of 50 in England are currently offering the treatment
Thousands of cancer patients are being denied access to better treatment because of a lack of trained doctors, according to an ‘alarming’ Government report.
One in four cancer patients who receive radiotherapy in hospitals would benefit from the latest techniques, but some hospitals do not offer the treatment or provide it for only 0.1 per cent of sufferers, officials say.
Intensity modulated radiotherapy treatment (IMRT) is more accurate, has fewer side effects and avoids damage to healthy tissue, enabling patients to recover more quickly.
But a Department of Health report found that only four cancer centres out of 50 in England offer the treatment to all those who might benefit, because many specialists are not trained in how to administer it.
The Government has been forced to offer financial incentives to hospitals to provide more radiotherapy, which means they will now be paid per patient, to address the problem.
On average, only six per cent of patients are being given access to IMRT, which the report describes as ‘unacceptably low’.
Radiotherapy – using radiation to burn away cancer – is one of the disease’s most effective treatments and is used to treat 100,000 people a year.
The technique carries a risk of killing healthy cells as well as the tumour, but IMRT allows the rays to be targeted at specific areas.
A Cancer Research UK spokeswoman described the report’s findings as ‘alarming’ and said many patients may be suffering unnecessarily and for longer because they are not given access to the technique.
She said: ‘We’re extremely concerned by the shortfall in advanced radiotherapy.
‘If patients aren’t being offered techniques like IMRT when this would be the most appropriate treatment, they could be experiencing side effects they might have otherwise been spared.
Huge improvements are needed if we are to ensure that the right patients are getting the right sort of radiotherapy.’
Royal College of Radiologists president Jane Barrett accepted that not enough patients – just 16,000 each year – are receiving IMRT, and many were being denied the highest possible standards of treatment.
She said: ‘The report shows we still need more radiographers and physicists trained in the new techniques such as IMRT which could benefit 24 per cent of those who undergo radiotherapy.
‘Uptake is so slow because we have a workforce working very hard to deliver treatment on a day-to-day basis, but we need to give people time to get out of the workplace to train.’
To perform IMRT, doctors must complete a training course over several days and then be mentored when they return to hospital. Hospitals do not need any additional equipment.
The report also highlights that 26 out of 265 radiotherapy machines in England are past their use-by date, and a further 59 will need replacing in the next three years.
This will cost the NHS an estimated £100 million.
A further 147 machines are needed to cope with expected demand by 2016 as cancer becomes more common in an ageing population, at a cost of up to £200 million.
The report estimates that the amount of radiotherapy provided to patients will need to rise by 67 per cent in the next four years.
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Hi just a quick post.
I had forgotten how much time a 2 yr old takes up. Oskar is having breakfast and so have a few minutes.
He will be 2 tomorrow and I remember so well the day of his birth. He was 2 weeks overdue and made his appearance in the middle of a snowstorm{I'm sure Bernie remembers it] after my daughters husband got help from the local farmer to pull their car up the drive and then she was sent back from the hospital only to be in full labour a few hours later. The farmer lent them a jeep after that.
It was the thought of my new grand child that kept me going through out my treatment but sadly I wasn't there for the birth.My oncologist advised against it as I was waiting for my last chemo at the time.So Oskars first sight of me was Granny with no hair. He came to visit at Xmas and we had no water for many hours in the day time leading up to Xmas day but it improved after that.
Have just skimmed over all the posts and will go back later to read in detail. V interesting about the rads especially as I had a reaction to them.
Sylvia I hope that you are safe and dry through out all the horrendous weather. The news said this morning that there are hopes that it is abating but not much consolation for those whose homes are devastated.
Oskar needs my attention, so bye for now. Wish me luck for tomorrow I am doing a small birthday tea, only ! little boy coming but Oskar can be quite rough and we must make sure that he doesn't become a bully.
My thoughts to anyone who is having a tough time.
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Hello Michael
Thank you for your very interesting post. This looks like an interesting piece of research and if it is successful it should take us a step forward. I wonder how long it will take before we get a human clinical trial of miR-200c in combination with existing chemotherapies?
I do wonder sometimes whether cancer is as complicated as it sounds and as we are told it is. Looking at the number of people just on this forum continually being diagnosed with cancer, and on the TNS with TNBC, makes me wonder what is triggering it all. Is it a simple fact of lifestyle? It is no longer a disease of old age, even though we keep being told it still is. Why are all these young women being diagnosed with TNBC?
I hope you have an interesting week at work.
I cannot believe the amount of water in the field in Devon. This place looks more like the Lake District! Apparently we should have some dry days after today, so I hope everything will settle down.
Best wishes.
Sylvia
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Hello BernieEllen
Thank you for your post.
I was most interested in the information about radiotherapy. It is a disgrace in this country that we are always behind the times with treatment. It is immoral that the latest techniques in radiotherapy are only available in four out of fifty centres.
Those of you newly diagnosed must fight for the right to have the latest techniques and scream out loud for them if they are of benefit to you. You must be your own best advocates. You must fight to get the specialists needed to administer this radiotherapy and insist on only the best for your bodies. When you are told that you need radiotherapy, you must say 'I would like IMRT, if it is of benefit to me', and spell it out Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Treatment. You should not allow yourselves to be subjected to the present radiotherapy treatment which runs the risk of killing healthy cells as well as the tumour. Why should you suffer unnecessarily because less harmful treatment is not being offered to you if it can help you?
It it were me I would want an explanation of what it does, how it differs from the standard radiotherapy and, if I am told it does not benefit me, I would want to know why.
With all treatment, you have to be sure that you are not being offered it because it is expensive.
I think it is scandalous that 26 radiotherapy machines in England are past their use by date and another 59 are on their way out.
How much do you want to bet that by 2016 we shall not have the number of machines that we need?
Another thing that gets my goat is that all the emphasis seems to be on predicting more and more cancer cases in the future, more and more devastating chemotherapy and radiotherapy, not to mention disfiguring surgery, but little emphasis on prevention and causes.
I hope you have a good week and that all goes well at the hospital.
Best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello linali
Thank you for your post and taking the time to pop in, even though you are looking after Oskar. I do hope he will have a very happy birthday tomorrow. I am sure you will never forget all that happened the day he was born!
We have to make sure on this thread that we keep up with all the latest news and information about TNBC and cancer in general. Even if some of it is too late for us, it could be useful to those newly diagnosed. It does not hurt to keep repeating information either, such as the following.
The more targeted and less harmful radiotherapy.
Blood tests at the surgery to detect ovarian cancer.
Possibility of blood test to detect breast cancer and hopefully get away from mammograms.
Trials in progress for more effective treatment.
News about low dose aspirin. We have to remember the warning not to start taking aspirin without medical advice.
Metformin as a possible treatment.
I think it is useful to post any snippet of information, as we do not know where it will lead us.
Sometime ago I read about romidepsin (Istodax) and decitabine (Dacogen) as possible new drugs used together to treat metastatic TNBC. I also read they have very bad side effects.
Since then, I have read nothing, so what is happening with these two drugs?
Thinking of you and hope that all goes well with the birthday tea tomorrow.
Best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone
I have just received the latest e-mail from Chris Woollams at CANCERactive. This one is entitled 'Really, really interesting news stories on fighting cancer'.
The good news from this is that Chris thinks that the 'Integrative' or 'Holistic' message that Chris and CANCERactive has been going on about for nine years is finally getting through and looks set to be the standard for the majority of people with cancer in the future.
Apparently a Professor from Imperial College's new College of Medicine spoke to MPs in the House of Commons about the need not to treat patients like lab rats and that patients need therapies to help reduce their stress, control their pain, adjust their nutrition, enable them to relax, etc. There is a lot of useful information in this latest e-mail and I would advise you to go to CANCERactive and read as much as you can. Please sign up for the newsletter, if you have not already done so, as it helps me to save a lot of time re-running it all.
Here are a few of the headlines.
There is new research on multivitamins, red grape polyphenols, curcumin, resveratrol, selenium, melatonin and how they can help in preventing and dealing with cancer.
There are some breakthrough stories. They are as follows:
Italian court rules mobile phones are dangerous.
Aspartame is linked (again) to blood and lymph cancers.
Scientists are expressing concern about the increasing use of brachytherapy.
I am going to read my e-mail in more detail, as there are four pages of it and then look at all the headlines underlined in my e-mail that will take me to the links.
Please try to sign up for the e-mail. It costs nothing and arrives regularly in your inbox. We can then discuss all the headlines and information on the links.
Special hellos to Mumtobe. How is the chemotherapy progressing?
Dulcie. I hope you are having some successful treatment. PM me if you need to.
FernMF. How are you getting on post-treatment?
Maria_Malta. I would love to hear from you.
Sam52. I hope you are well.
Adagio. Have you decided not to have conventional treatment?
Thinking of all of you.
Best wishes.
Sylvia.
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Why a breakfast of grapefruit and marmalade on toast could be lethal for people taking medication
- Both grapefruit and Seville oranges contain chemicals that can interact with certain drugs such as statins and antidepressants
- Adverse effects can include acute kidney failure, respiratory failure, internal bleeding and sudden death
By JENNY HOPE
Grapefruit contains chemicals that can interact with certain drugs, making them more potent
Doctors are warning about serious health problems caused by mixing medicines and grapefruit.
Although it was already known that some drugs are affected by grapefruit, the number has doubled in the last four years.
There are now some 85 such drugs, including statins, antibiotics, antidepressants, drugs to treat cancer and heart disease, plus others used by patients who have had organ transplants.
Grapefruit can either increase the potency of drugs, potentially leading to an overdose, or render them less effective which puts patients at risk of receiving too little medication.
This has led to sudden death, acute kidney failure, respiratory failure and gastrointestinal bleeding, Canadian experts say.
Dr David Bailey, of the Lawson Health Research Institute, in London, Ontario, said there had been a ‘marked increase’ in prescription drugs that interact with grapefruit. But many doctors and patients remain unaware of the problem.
The list of danger medicines includes treatments for anxiety, depression, allergy, HIV infection, seizures, heart rhythm abnormalities and high cholesterol
He added: ‘Many of the drugs that interact with grapefruit are highly prescribed and are essential for the treatment of common medical conditions.
‘Recently, however, a disturbing trend has been seen. Between 2008 and 2012, the number of medications with the potential to interact with grapefruit and cause serious adverse effects has increased from 17 to 43 – an average rate of increase exceeding six drugs per year.
‘This increase is a result of the introduction of new chemical entities and formulations.’
Of more than 85 drugs that may interact with grapefruit, 43 can have serious side-effects, says a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Grapefruit contains a compound, furanocoumarin, that prevents the enzymes in the intestine, responsible for keeping foreign substances out of the body, from working properly.
This leads to more medication being absorbed, effectively doubling or even tripling the dose in some cases.
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Sylvia: and all; I am doing just fine - 8 weeks post LAST chemo round . . . I feel back to "normal" physically . . . the hair is slow coming back . . . still wearing this wig (uugghh) and my eye brows are non-existant (they didn't start falling out until round 3) . . . several finger nails are doing weird things . . but all-in-all, I'm doing great. Thanks for inquiring.
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Hi Sylvia,
Just popping in to say hello to everyone. Weekly treatment is going well so far thank God. I feel practically normal on it. Aside from tiredness on the day of treatment, I don't feel like I have had treatment at all (so far). I have my third administration tomorrow. My only problem is getting a vein, I used to have good veins but since my surgery they seem to run a mile when they see a needle coming, ick! Otherwise all is good and Emma is keeping me very busy. Would love an extra hour or two in bed each night but my little angel prevents that
Hope everyone is well x
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Hello FernMF
I am so glad to know that all is going well and that you feel more or less normal physically. The hair will come back but I know how you feel. I was forever looking for traces of growth and then suddenly I had this very dark, curly hair and very bushy. As for my eyebrows, they took a lot longer and even now are not quite normal. The taxanes (docetaxel and paclitaxel) do take their toll on the nails. I had no problem with fingernails, but some of my toenails went brown. They do normalise quite quickly.
Are you managing to put TNBC in a corner of your life now?
Best wishes.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello Mumtobe
Thank you for popping in to say hello to all of us. It looks as though the weekly treatment may be easier to deal with than the three-weekly one. I did notice on another thread that a newly diagnosed woman was saying that she had been offered treatment every two weeks instead of what was the standard three-weekly. It looks as though less drug more often seems to be easier on the body. One problem though, is possibly with the veins since you have to have the cannula more often. I know that women are offered ports, but they are not without problems.
I can imagine that Emma is keeping you very busy and that you are probably longing for more sleep. I hope you are getting plenty of help.
Always in our thoughts.
Sylvia xxxx
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Hello everyone.
I am posting some of the links connected with the CANCERactive e-mail that I mentioned the other day.
Aspartame and leukaemia and lymphoma.
Michael, I think this will be of great interest to you.
Curcumin wakes up tumour suppressing gene.
http://www.canceractive.com/cancer-active-page-link.aspx?n=1571&Title=Curcumin%20or%20turmeric
Red grape polyphenols inhibit progression of breast cancer.
Resveratrol may have many actions against cancer.
http://www.canceractive.com/cancer-active-page-link.aspx?n=1906&Title=Resveratrol
Please read the seven pages with all the details about this.
Resveratrol and its significant benefits with prostate cancer.
I hope you will find something of interest in all of this.
Good reading!
Sylvia
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Hello everyone.
I am just popping in again to post the links as I finish reading certain information.
Multivitamins have a modest but significant preventative effect in cancer.
Antioxidants do prevent cancer.
Plasma levels of Selenium are linked to prostate cancer prevention
Melatonin and cancer prevention
http://www.canceractive.com/cancer-active-page-link.aspx?n=1164&Title=Melatonin%20Quick%20facts
Now disturbed sleep is linked to male cancers
Brachytherapy and breast cancer – unproven and with complications
Any of you that are going through treatment for breast cancer and are being offered brachytherapy radiotherapy might want to have a read of this.
Could a simple blood test tell you your breast cancer risk?
I was most interested in reading this page about a blood test that would be able to measure certain hormone levels and discover women most at risk. The three hormones appear to be oestradiol, which is the main form of oestrogen, testosterone and a hormone produced by the adrenal gland called DHEAS. Please read this link for more details.
Italian Court rules mobile phones can cause cancer
Imperial College Prof searching for ways of treating cancer integratively
I hope that you will read this information as and when you can and post some comments on what you think. A thread is always more interesting if it is interactive.
Best wishes.
Sylvia
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Hello Sylvia
Thank you for your always informative posts.
I have tried twice to register for the regular emails from Canceractive - but have never received them......
I have not been posting as I have been spending a lot of time with my father.He was discharged from hospital on Saturday, but there have been a lot of problems, and today my brother, who has been spending the last 2 days with him, phoned me to tell me my father has fallen again.My brother has to return home tonight, so I am very concerned about my father.
I am actualy feeling completely exhausted and stressed out with it all.It does not help being so far away.On Monday evening I drove home form my father's via a detour to avoid flooding and then hit dense fog for quite a few miles.We are thinking that my father will have to have much more care now, or even residential accomodation, but these things are not easy to organise in a hurry.
Have you seen the latest post on the thread I started 'Parathyroid disease and breast cancer'?
I have no idea whether my bone density has improved; I would like another DEXA scan soon (it will be 3 years since my parathyroidectomy next March) - but I am now discharged from both oncology and endocrinology. Have you had a DEXA scan since your surgery for parathyroid disease?
Hoping you are surviving the weather down in Exmouth.
With love,
Sam x
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Hi all,
Just popping on to get some help in relieving my anxiety. Had my 3rd Taxol treatment yest (went fine thk God) but I got talking to a lady who was diagnosed with hormone positive BC 3yrs ago in London. She had a lumpectomy and chemo and back then they said that from her CT Scan there were 'suspicious nodules' on her lung but couldn't prove it to be cancer because they were so small. They told her these would never have been spotted on an abdominal u/sound because they were so small. Turns out 3yrs later she's now on Taxol for cancer to her lung and I think she mentioned liver aswell. Here is where my anxiety was triggered. I never had a CT Scan due to my pregnancy prior to starting chemo. I had chest xray and abdominal u/sound, both of which were fine thk God. I am wondering now should I look to get a CT Scan done in case of anything suspicious because my lymph nodes were affected (think my surgeon mentioned 3) but there was massive scarring after neoadjuvent chemo so chemo did its job there. Anyway my surgeon told me the only testing I will have done once chemo and rads have finished is my yearly mammogram (will be looking to have second breast removed after all tx is over). She said that unless I present with symptoms that persist beyond 3 wks, they will not investigate further. So I guess my question is did many of you have CT Scans done from the outset?
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