Written by: Rimsha Kabbinavar and Tanmaya Kompella
Rees, Victoria. “Sanguinarine Shows Promise against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.” Drug Target Review, Drug Target Review, 28 Apr. 2021, www.drugtargetreview.com/news/90089/sanguinarine-shows-promise-against-triple-negative-breast-cancer/. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
Breast cancer. A heart-wrenching type of cancer in which the breast cells undergo uncontrolled growth. Due to the abnormal growth of these cells, they develop into cancerous cells, having the potential risk of spreading to other parts of the body. “In 2020, there were 2.3 million women diagnosed with breast cancer and 685 000 deaths globally. As of the end of 2020, there were 7.8 million women alive who were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past 5 years,” (WHO) making it the world's most prevalent and deadly cancer, especially amongst women. However, breast cancer can also develop in males. Infact, “About 1 out of every 100 breast cancers diagnosed in the United States is found in a man” (CDC). Although not quite as rare in males, both men and women may experience similar symptoms and must undergo similar treatment.
Being a patient with breast cancer comes with the underlying fear and uncertainty of whether or not they will be cured entirely. Cancer treatment soon starts to become a part of these patients’ lives, and begins to seep into and become a part of the lives of their loved ones as well. To gain further insight into the distressing and unfortunate impact that breast cancer can have, both on the patient itself as well as their loved ones, we interviewed Mrs. Humera Farooqui, the daughter of a breast cancer patient. Her mother was diagnosed with TNBC cancer in September, 2019. TNBC (triple negative breast cancer) is an extremely dangerous form of breast cancer which comes with the high risk of the cancer spreading to other parts of the body, such as into the liver or the stomach.
When asked whether her mother immediately knew that she had cancer, Humera said, “It was painless, she found no pain.” Her mother, already a diabetic patient, was prescribed normal routine checkup, and went for an ECG. An ECG is an electrocardiogram which records the electrical signals from the heart to check for different heart conditions (MayoClinic). “She was lying on the bed and told me that she was finding a sort of hardness on the left side of her breast [but was unsure what it was].” Mrs. Humera Farooqui said she then checked out what her mother had been explaining and found a ball on the left side of her breast. After consulting a gynecologist, who wrote to her mother for a mammography. Mammography is the process of using low-energy X-rays to examine human breasts, used by doctors to detect early signs of cancer (CDC) and a FNAC test which resulted in a positive for cancer. Fine needle aspiration cytology is a test taken to determine whether the lump discovered on the body is cancerous (The Aga Khan University Hospital).
“It was very tough, it was terrible as I had never been in such a situation before. It felt like the ground underneath my feet had swept away. I pray and wish that no one else in the world would have to face a situation like this.” Humera Farooqui replied, when asked how she had felt after finding out her mother was positive for cancer. For a daughter, it isn’t easy to see your mother suffer and fight against such a malignant disease, let alone be able to tell her that she was suffering from the illness. “My mother didn’t know until now that she was suffering from cancer, she’s an educated woman and she knew that something was wrong. She would constantly ask us what was happening, why she was getting the type of treatment she was getting. But whenever she’d ask us [my family and I] these questions, she would instantly begin crying.” Unable to watch her mother break down, and to prevent her fighting spirit from burning away, Humera and her family chose not to immediately tell her mother that she was suffering from cancer. Many families choose not to tell the patient what illness they have, instantly after being diagnosed, especially those who are elderly. This is because of the added stress and worrying that becomes imposed upon the patient and sometimes adds on to the weakening effects of the illness.
Breast cancer, and most forms of cancer have various different ways in which it can be treated. If the cancer is in its early stages and the tumour is in an easily accessible place, in most cases, the patient will undergo a mastectomy where surgeons will try to remove as much of the breast tissue and tumour as possible. Secondly, to kill any remaining cancer cells that may still be left after surgery, the patient undergoes radiation therapy. High doses of gamma radiation are targeted only at the part of the body where the cancer cells had grown, and is used to kill these cancers and to shrink tumours. The third common form of treatment is chemotherapy, in this the patient is given chemotherapy drugs which are injected into the vein by a needle, these drugs are used to kill the cancer cells and prevent further division. Humera’s mother first went through the mastectomy where the doctor removed as much of the tumour as possible, informing her that they may have to take the organ itself out as well if it was infected. Her mother then went through radiation therapy as her next step of treatment but couldn’t undergo chemotherapy, due to her experiencing side effects as a result from the mastectomy.
“Undergoing the treatment impacted my mother emotionally, especially since she didn’t know that she had cancer and why she was going through these treatments, it was a rough time for her and all of us” explained Humera when asked how her mother had felt by going to these treatments. Although watching her mother having to go through the treatment and string of tests was heartbreaking, she and her family began getting more hopeful and happier, seeing her mother’s health begin to improve and her treatments were a hope for a future possibility of a cancer-free life once again.
It’s never easy for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer, but the cancer not only takes a toll on them and their daily lifestyle, but infects the lives of the patient’s loved ones as well. In recent years, promising treatment breakthroughs such as immunotherapy, gene therapy and CAR-T cell therapy have been made by scientists, in the fight against cancer. As science and technology progresses, the human race can hope to develop cures to eradicate cancer from our bodies, enabling patients to continue to lead healthy and fruitful lives.
Works Cited List
“Breast Cancer.” World Health Organisation, World Health Organisation, 26 Mar. 2021, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/breast-cancer. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“Breast Cancer in Men.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 Aug. 2020, www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/men/index.htm. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/ekg/about/pac-20384983#:~:text=An%20electrocardiogram%20. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“FNAC Test for Cancer.” The Aga Khan University Hospital, The Aga Khan University Hospital, 7 July 2013, hospitals.aku.edu/nairobi/AboutUs/News/Pages/FNAC-test-for-cancer.aspx. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
“What Is a Mammogram?” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20 Sept. 2021, www.cdc.gov/cancer/breast/basic_info/mammograms.htm. Accessed 22 Oct. 2021.
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