FEC chemotherapy | CEF chemo treatment

What is FEC or CEF chemotherapy?

This question was submitted to us using the box in the right margin of the page - if you have a question then you can ask it just by typing it in. We'll try to answer it for you or for others to share.

FEC and CEF are the initials of three different chemotherapy drugs which are commonly used in breast cancer.

The drugs are:

• Cyclophosphamide
• Epirubicin
• Fluorouracil

In the UK the abbreviation is normally written as CEF - in the USA it seems more common to write it as FEC. The treatment is the same in both countries.

Chemotherapy drugs in breast cancer are often given in combinations or "cocktails" - the evidence seems  to be that this gives a more powerful effect and a more effective treatment.

Have you had experiences of this kind of chemotherapy too? Leave a comment below and share with others.

Mastectomy Bra - Choices .... Choices ?

Ok - here's a plea for your help - please leave a comment and contribute if you can. You'll be able to offer great support and help to others reading this.

Having written several times about my own difficulty finding a decent post mastectomy bra, I get frequent emails asking for advice about what to do. I remember only too clearly the trauma I felt - and the despair at times - when searching for something to wear.

When I first started looking for mastectomy bras the only ones that seemed to be available were like something my mother would wear .... no offense mum ! Not having a big bust to start with I'd always been able to wear T shirt type bras - but the only mastectomy ones on offer were (as my daughter called them) "over the shoulder boulder holders." Far from making me feel feminine and pretty they just made me feel frumpy and made the whole experience all the worse for that.

Most mastectomy bras are pocketed on both sides but there are some companies who make them without pockets - useless!! The prosthesis just seemed to have a mind of its own and moved around everywhere. Not a good look.

I never really did get the balance right. I found a bra that worked well for me - but didn't like how it looked. I found one that I liked the look of but couldn't get comfortable with it.

If you are looking online the Nicola Jane range is very practical and the bras work well - however, mastecomy bras are much more expensive than normal bras and again I found them rather old fashioned.

So ... again ... can you help with this for others?

If you've found a good bra post mastectomy then please leave a comment below. If you know of a good supplier or a good comfy option then get in touch.

More on this subject later.

Marjory

Breast tenderness - a symptom to worry about?

Should you worry about breast tenderness?

Marjory and I often get email requests for advice or information - and the subject of tender lumps or tenderness in the breast comes up often. So - what would you do?

Firstly, I think there's an issue about the definition of the word. Tenderness for you might be pain for someone else - or might not even register as discomfort for another woman. None of us are the same in how our body reacts to pain or pain related symptoms.

Secondly, is the symptom constant and ongoing or intermittent and only present for part of the day or for a part of each week or month?

But let me say again what I've said many times on this site. If you're worried about any breast related symptom then go see a doctor and have a check over. Don't rely on sites like this for information. Yes, we can try to help and educate but if you're worried you need to see someone medical for an examination.

So - back to the topic of tenderness in the breast or breasts. What does it mean?

Usually the problem relates to hormone changes - seen for example in early pregnancy or as a side effect of contraceptive medications like the pill or contraceptive injections and implants. The new Implanon contraceptive often causes breast tenderness and discomfort. Other non hormone medications can also trigger this symptom but this is much less frequent.

Some women feel their breasts tender every menstrual cycle as they get near the time of their period. This can sometimes be a part of what's sometimes called the "Pre Menstrual Syndrome" or PMS.

Older women also sometimes experience sore or aching breasts as they enter the menopause. The fluctuating levels of hormones can trigger significant discomfort.

Less frequent causes of tenderness in the breasts might include Hormone Replacement Therapy treatment, previous injury to the area, fluid retention relating to other diseases and conditions, large cyst formation - and rarely it can relate to a high regular alcohol intake.

Can breast cancer cause tender breasts?
The answer to this is yes - it can .... but it doesn't usually do so.
Most breast cancer lumps are painless but some forms of breast cancer (like inflammatory breast cancer for example) can cause widespread discomfort, tenderness, soreness or pain.

So - what's my message? You guessed it - if in doubt then go get a check over ...... Please ?

Posted by Gordon - please leave your comments below.

This too will pass ....

What is it that keeps you going as you struggle with the breast cancer experience?

What get's you through when things seem overwhelmingly bleak?

We've put the first verse of the poem Invictus top right of this page - now made famous by the recent Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman film of course - but around as source of inspiration and courage to many for more than a hundred years. The words are great and if you don't know the poem you can read it and more about it here. William Henley didn't have cancer but he did suffer from tuberculosis in the bone and spent much of his life struggling to cope after having his leg amputated below the knee.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

There must be many other poems that reach into our lives and lift us up when we need it most.

Maybe for you it's a song - or a film? Or a book? Or a photograph .....?

For Marjory and I it's a pair of simple rings. We went out together and bought them about a week after the diagnosis was confirmed. They're engraved on the inner side of the band with the words

"This too will pass"

When things get tough we take them off and look at those words, and we remember how we felt and what our fears for the future were on the day we bought them.

No matter how dark the night is that covers you, there is and will always be light at the end of the tunnel. You just need to have faith that the bleak spell will pass and that the sun will shine again.

What do you do to keep your head "bloody, but unbowed"

Share your own experiences below. Reading how others cope is a great source of strength and comfort.

Be well

G and M

Flap breast reconstruction

Flap breast reconstruction involves taking skin, fatty tissue and sometimes a thin layer of muscle from elsewhere on the body and moving it to the area on the chest wall where the original breast was removed.

In Marjory's case she waited a long time after the original mastectomy operation before she decided to go ahead with a flap breast reconstruction procedure. This was partly because she wasn't fully sure that reconstruction was the right thing for her as an individual - and partly because she had undergone fairly extensive radiotherapy treatment and wanted all that to settle down before any further operation.

One of the concerns some surgeons have about doing breast flap reconstruction at the time of the original mastectomy is that radiotherapy can make the new flap contract or shrink - spoiling the desired cosmetic result. If you don't need radiotherapy then going ahead immediately might be a good option for you - but even then it might make your recovery period more prolonged and could leave you more at risk of short term seroma problems.

The word "flap" is used because the surgeon will take some skin, fatty tissue and muscle from another part of your body but will keep it attached to its blood supply. This "flap" can be taken from your back over your shoulder blade or it can be from your tummy area just below the umbilicus.

You can read a good article about breast reconstruction after mastectomy here.

Breast cancer blogs

People write blogs about breast cancer for all sorts of reasons.

For us it was part desire to reach out to others and offer support, part a kind of need to write in the hope of making some sense of it all. Others write blogs to keep friends and family up to date, some write for political reasons - and some are just purely personal explorations of what it means to deal with breast cancer in today's complex world.

We've got a list of our own favorite breast cancer blog sites to the right of this page - but you'll find another good list here.

It's easy to set up and publish a blog .... but not always easy to keep it all active and up to date because life has a habit of getting in the way at times ! If you're going through a breast cancer journey - either personally or in your family, then you should give some serious thought to doing a bit of blogging about it. What started off as just a journal for us has provided support to thousands of others all over the world.

Go get started - let us know what you're up to and we'll give your blog a mention on the site.

Good luck - and enjoy

G & M

Bitter melon fruit and breast cancer

Stories about fruit, plants and cancer seem to come around every week or so don't they? Bitter melon extract is the latest one of interest ....

Bitter melon is not really a melon at all - more like a gourd and sometimes called the wild cucumber. It's a strange and knobbly looking thing.

However, true to form, scientists have looked at it's so called healing powers and found key ingredients of the bitter melon fruit interfered with chemical pathways involved in cancer growth - well, in the laboratory at least.

The research suggested that the melon fruit extract turned off signals telling the breast cancer cells to divide and switched on signals encouraging them to commit suicide. Experts told Cancer Research journal more trials were needed. Well (said with a wry smile) - they always do don' t they.

Now - don't get me wrong, I'm not being a huge cynic about this. There could after all be something in it - but we really do have a long way to go on this one.

Even the study author is pouring cold water on the stance that some press reports are taking. Although promising as an anti-cancer agent, trials in animals and then humans are still needed and there is of course absolutely no proof whatsoever that eating the fruit has any effect once it's digested. It's a big step from using an extract on raw cells in a test tube, to eating it in our diet and expecting a benefit.

Thousands of plant extracts seem to be able to influence cancer cells in the lab but only a very few make it through research into actual use for patients.

For the moment it seems better to focus on getting the message across about things we know to be true. Drinking less alcohol, being more physically active and keeping a healthy weight can all reduce the risk of breast cancer - and these are solid hard facts, not speculation.

Makes you think - doesn't it.

Gordon

Four years on ...

Well - here we are.

It's nearly four years since Marjory was diagnosed with breast cancer and all in all it's been quite a journey. We're sorry if the blog posts here became intermittent and the trail went a little cold but hey ... normal life intervened :-)

We both feel we wanted to get this site going again, not because of any new problems - but in response to your many requests for updates. So the old place has had a lick of paint with a new site layout and there'll be a new drive to bring you up to date information and support.

The last four years have been an adventure all ways up really.

Marjory's about to celebrate her 45th birthday - and it's four years now since diagnosis. Touch wood - all's well.

She's had experience of just about everything breast cancer can throw at her:

Mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, more chemotherapy, herceptin, zoladex, oophorectomy, arimidex, letrozole and then bilateral TRAM reconstruction with a second mastecomy just for good measure - I guess that's what you might call "throwing the book at it"

Anyways - it's good to get to know you all again.

Please keep on visiting - and keep on leaving your comments.

If you'd like to share your experiences or to ask a question that us or others could help you with then go right ahead and leave a comment here.

Be well - and be happy

Gordon

Oh - should have said - that's Anna in the picture with her favourite of the labradoodle puppies we were (ahem) blessed with just before Christmas last year. We had seven .... made for a busy holiday season ........ :-)

Breast Cancer - It's All About Soul Isn't It

If you love great music with a soulful twist then take a look at - and a listen to this.

Anders Holst -jazz singer - was so moved by the effect that breast cancer had on two of his friends that he has decided to devote a whole month of his life to supporting breast cancer charity.

During the entire month of March 09 he will work to support Susan G. Komen For The Cure ®.

He is using his music, to raise funds for the advancement of breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment and any money raised will be devoted to projects trying to eradicate breast cancer as a life threatening disease.

Anders has recorded a song called “All About Soul” - a jazzy take on the Billy Joel original and all proceeds from sales downloaded from itunes will be devoted to the Susan Komen fund.

His style has been likened to Sting, Seal, Leonard Cohen, Boz Scaggs, Bryan Ferry, and Robert Palmer. His latest album, Romantika, was released at the end of January, and has been praised by the likes of Billboard Magazine, Quincy Jones, Jazziz, and SmoothJazz.com.

Please help if you can. For a direct link to purchase “All About Soul” on iTunes, please visit:

www.andersholst.com/komen

and follow the links from there ....

Breast Cancer Questions and Answers

Gordon and I have been busy this week. We've been working to create a new medical advice question and answer site that we think you'll enjoy and find helpful.

Ever since we started this site we've struggled at times to keep up with your emails and your questions left in the comments section of each blog article. We try - but time is precious at times and its not always easy. Gordon too, with his blood pressure website has the same kind of issues.

So .... here's our idea. We've decided to open up Ask Doctor Cameron - a new style site where you can post your questions about breast cancer or about any other medical issues. If you leave a question about any health issue then you have the benefits of getting health information and answers from the wider community as well as from either (or both) of us.

After long late night hours (and a lot of shouting at times :-) - at computers, not each other) we are finally up and running. Pop over and take a look. We hope you like it.

Here's the link: Ask Doctor Cameron

More soon.
Marjory

Hot Flashes in Breast Cancer Patients

Here's an article that Gordon recently wrote for another website. We've reproduced it here because it's one of the most common health questions that breast cancer sufferers ask about. Do you have hot flushes or hot flashes? Well, if you do, there may be some hope of relief. Read on .....

Hot Flushes in Breast Cancer Patients
By Gordon Cameron

Hot flushes or hot flashes in breast cancer patients are a common problem.

Many breast cancers are sensitive to circulating estrogen levels and for many women, suppressing the production or the effects of estrogen on the body is a major strategy in their treatment. A lack of estrogen will produce symptoms identical to the menopause and the most unpleasant of these are hot flushes, sweats or hot flashes.

A new research project has looked at the effect of a drug called Megace or megesterol acetate in treating hot flushes in women with breast cancer.

They studied nearly three hundred patients with breast cancer who had completed surgery and chemotherapy and at least four months of tamoxifen treatment for their condition.

Before they took part in the study the women had to have experienced at least ten hot flashes of any severity or at least five severe episodes each week.When the research data was looked at, eighty five percent of the women who took part were on tamoxifen, and forty percent had more than sixty hot flushes per week. Three quarters of them had experienced sweats and flashes for more than six months before they started in the study.

The women were divided into three groups. One group were given a placebo tablet, one group got 20mg of Megace and the other received 40mg of Megace each day. They all took their medicine for three months. A good outcome was defined as completion of treatment with a seventy five percent or greater reduction in hot flushes from that womens starting point.

If the treatment they were on worked well the women were given another three months of the same medication and dose. If they did not get benefit after three months then they were given 20mg a day of Megace on top of what they were already taking.

Reduction of flushings of seventy fiver percent or more was reported in

• only 14% of those women who were on placebo medication
• 65% of those women who were on the 20 mg dose
• 48% of the women who were on the 40 mg dose of drug

In addition, most successes at three months were maintained at six months in seventy seven percent of the women on 20 mg and in eighty one percent of the women on 40 mg per day - but there was no significant impact on other menopausal symptoms like vaginal dryness or joint pains.

For the women taking Megace the main side effects were fluid retention and weight gain, fatigue and sometimes mild depression.

The researchers concluded that Megace was very successful in alleviating sweats and flushes in breast cancer survivors with lasting results at 6 months. They recommended the twenty milligram dose for most women and said that this treatment should be considered for all women with menopause flushing symptoms after breast cancer treatment.

Gordon Cameron is a physician in Edinburgh Scotland. He has a special interest in the symptoms of breast cancer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gordon_Cameron
http://EzineArticles.com/?Hot-Flushes-in-Breast-Cancer-Patients&id=1294228

Mammogram - What is a Mammogram

What is a mammogram - do you know the answer?

A mammogram can help to detect breast cancer at the earliest stage and it's an important part of our fight against the breast cancer epidemic - whether or not symptoms of breast cancer are present.

Some of these tests are performed when there is nothing at all to find on breast examination - no lumps and no suspicious problem areas. This is called a screening mammogram. Some women find the procedure uncomfortable - either in the breast itself or they experience shoulder pain because of the arm position. Any discomfort however is short lived and the procedure overall is not too unpleasant.

The other kind of mammogram is called a diagnostic mammogram and this is done when a screening test shows a suspicious area or when the person is aware of a lump in the breast or of some other symptom that could relate to breast cancer.

New digital techniques allow the images to be enhanced and make the screening and diagnostic tests easier for doctors to read. Digital mammography is probably more accurate at picking up problems in women under the age of fifty, or for those who have not yet had their menopause.
The latest versions of breast cancer guidelines say that if a woman over the age or thirty discovers a lump in the breast then both a diagnostic mammography test and an ultrasound scan of the breast should be performed. Ultrasound is a good test to show if a lump is solid or full of fluid - like a simple cyst might be for example. A lump with fluid in it looks dark or black on ultrasound - a solid area looks white because of the way that the sound waves from the ultrasound bounce off it.

When a breast mass is solid, its alignment and shape provide clues as to whether it is benign or cancerous. Usually a benign mass is horizontally aligned with smooth borders, while one that is malignant is vertically aligned with irregular borders. The nature of a solid mass can be clarified by performing an image-guided core-needle biopsy. During this procedure, ultrasound or mammography is used to help a radiologist extract a tissue sample from the mass with a needle. A pathologist evaluates the sample.

But ... for some women who have found a lump in the breast, both the mammogram and the ultrasound might be normal. This is obviously good news but if the lump persists then doctors advise having repeated checks - and in rare cases, if the lump is still present after a month or two - a minor operation to remove it or biopsy it should be performed.

Mammograms and breast ultrasound can save lives. So can self examination of the breasts. When did you last check yourself? Are you breast aware?

Symptoms of breast cancer

The Symptoms of Breast Cancer

I often get emails or have comments posted on this breast cancer blog site asking about the symptoms of breast cancer.

Here's a brief summary but please remember - if you have any doubts at all then please go see your doctor for a check as soon as possible.

In most women, breast cancer is first noticed as a painless lump in the breast.

Other symptoms of breast cancer may include:

changes in the size or shape of a breast
dimpling of the skin of the breast
a thickening in the breast tissue
a nipple becoming inverted (turned in)
a lump or thickening behind the nipple
a rash (like eczema) affecting the nipple
a bloodstained discharge from the nipple (this is very rare)
a swelling or lump in the armpit.


Please remember that a pain in the breast is rarely a symptom of breast cancer. In fact, many healthy women find that their breasts feel lumpy and tender before a period.

But some types of benign breast lumps can be painful - so I'm going to say it again and this time in big writing:

IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT POSSIBLE BREAST CANCER THEN PLEASE GO SEE A DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Got the message yet :-)

Breast Cancer T-Shirts

I love life

Breast Cancer T-Shirts

Sure - its been very difficult at times over the last couple of years but I haven't lost sight of what's really important. Family, fun, laughter and the ability to find enjoyment in even the darkest of days.

So .... to celebrate that .... and to move on beyond the ubiquitous pink ribbons which are now found virtually everywhere - I asked my son Nic to design a new T shirt logo. You can see it to the top left of this page. I love it and wear it regularly.

Anyway - I've had so many people approach me and ask where they can get one too that Nic has teamed up with Cafepress.com to offer them for sale worldwide.

Here's the deal - each T shirt is available in a range of styles and colors. We'll arrange to donate five dollars to breast cancer charity for every one sold. The quality of the garments is great and Cafepress offer a great back up service should you have any problems.

Follow this link to see bigger pictures and to explore the range of options that Nic has created.

Move beyond pink ribbons and show the world that you love life too !

CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE

Breast Cancer and Hip Size

Yikes - can it really be true that hip size is a predictor for the risk of getting breast cancer? A new study suggests that it might be.

Scientists from the UK's Southhampton University have shown that women whose mothers have wide and round hips could be seven times more likely to develop breast cancer

It seems that a women's hip size is a marker of her oestrogen production.

Wide, round hips represent markers of high sex hormone concentrations and if your mother has wide hips then you - the daughter - could be at increased risk of breast cancer.

The study looked at the health of over 6,000 Finnish women born from 1934 to 1944 and comparing it with information on their mothers' hip size. The measurement used was the intercristal diameter -- the distance from hip bone to hip bone.

According to the findings, a woman's risk of breast cancer went up by 60 per cent if her mother's hips were more than 30 cm across. The risk increased with hip size and with the length of time the baby was in the womb.

I'm not sure how this fits into the big picture of breast cancer awareness but it's certainly food for thought.