Chemo Brain

The Young Breast Cancer Survivor's Network had our first focus group this past week. Our group consisted of about 8 women who were varied in age, but all had received a diagnosis and finished treatment before the age of menopause. Many issues were discussed in the group, but one that seemed to provide the women with the most trouble was "chemo brain." I had heard this term a few times before, but I have never learned the full effects that this takes. I decided to do a bit of research on it, and wanted to share my findings with you all. There is little research on this topic, as it is a new phenomenon that has been discovered. It was only once more and more people came forward with this problem that doctors realized it wasn't something imagined or made up by the patients. Since patients report mild to moderate cognitive impairments, it is hard to truly research this phenomenon, and come up with an exact cause (other than just because they received chemo.) Some of the symptoms of chemo brain include, but are not limited to: having trouble recalling things, memory lapses, taking longer to finish tasks, trouble multi-tasking, and trouble with word finding/ word association.  These symptoms can be short term and get better with time, or continue even months and years after treatment is over. Some tips listed on The American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org) to help with this include:

• Write things down. Keep track of appointments and schedules, to-do lists, important dates, phone numbers and addresses.
• Exercise your brain. Take a class, do word puzzles, or learn to do something new.
• Exercise your body. Regular physical activity is good for your body; it improves your mood, makes you feel more alert, and helps you feel less tired.
• Get enough rest and sleep.
• Eat your veggies. Studies have shown that eating more vegetables can help you keep up your brain power.
• Set up and follow routines. Put the things you often lose in the same place each time you're done with them. Try to keep the same daily schedule.

It is most important to remember that chemo brain is real! Patients are not “losing their mind” or “going crazy.” This is an unfortunate side effect of the life-saving treatment they have received.

Breaking It Down: Breast Cancer

We hear the term breast cancer all the time, but for this post I thought it might be beneficial to "break it down" and learn the basics about breast cancer. All of this information was obtained from the American Cancer Society website (www.cancer.org) and is a great resource for learning about any type of cancer.

What is breast cancer? Breast cancer is a malignant tumor that starts in the cells of the breast. A malignant tumor is a group of cancer cells that can grow into (invade) surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. The disease occurs almost entirely in women, but men can get it, too.

Breast Anatomy: To understand breast cancer, it helps to have some basic knowledge about the normal structure of the breasts. The female breast is made up mainly of lobules (milk-producing glands), ducts (tiny tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple), and stroma (fatty tissue and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels). Most breast cancers in females begin in the cells that line the ducts (ductal cancers). Some begin in the cells that line the lobules (lobular cancers), while a small number start in other tissues.

                             

The lymph system of the breast: The lymph system is important to understand because it is one way breast cancers can spread. Most lymphatic vessels in the breast connect to lymph nodes under the arm (axillary nodes). Some lymphatic vessels connect to lymph nodes inside the chest (internal mammary nodes) and those either above or below the collarbone (supraclavicular or infraclavicular nodes). If the cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes, there is a higher chance that the cells could have also gotten into the bloodstream and spread (metastasized) to other sites in the body. The more lymph nodes that have breast cancer, the more likely it is that the cancer may be found in other organs as well. Because of this, finding cancer in one or more lymph nodes often affects the treatment plan. 

My Reason for Research

Pictured above is my beautiful Aunt Sally with her husband Ronald. She's the reason I chose my project, The Young Breast Cancer Survivors Network, so I feel it's important for you to know her story. When she was only 30 years old, she found a lump on her breast and went to the doctor. The lump was biopsied, and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was caught early so treatment was started. She had a lumpectomy and endured daily treatments of radiation for six weeks. After her final radiation treatment, she was sent home with the good news that her cancer was gone. Two years later, she began experiencing pain in her back. Over time the pain progressed to the point that she couldn't even lay down, and had to sleep sitting upright. She went back to her doctor and received a mammogram which showed no signs of cancer, and she was mistakenly diagnosed with mastitis and was sent home with antibiotics. The pain continued and a few weeks later a lump developed on the same breast as two years earlier. After going back to the doctor and having the lump biopsied, she was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, which is non-detectable with a mammogram. It was a very aggressive form of cancer and had spread to her other breast and back, which was the source of her pain. Aunt Sally had a radical mastectomy on her left side and began chemotherapy. She was told by the doctors to go home and "get everything settled," giving her a slim survival rate. But after several months of chemotherapy, she had beaten the cancer for the second time, and proven all the doctor's wrong. Thirty years later, she is well and cancer free, and a true source of inspiration for me. Working on this project is my way to honor her and the struggle that she went through. She is a breast cancer survivor, and my work with Dr. Meneses will allow me to give back to other survivors’ and their families.