Surviving Breast Cancer
Aug 7, 20223 min
Updated: Dec 17, 2022
"The Doctors said if we wanted children, I should visit a fertility clinic before surgery since chemo could make me sterile. I was unable to get to a fertility clinic before my surgery. Two days before my surgery, by the grace of God, we found out she was pregnant." ~Aubrey
"I walked into a doctor’s office as a 50 year old male with no major illness and walked out a Breast Cancer patient. My journey takes me from first being embarrassed to now being empowered" ~Michael
"My husband, Marlyn Washburn, was like so many other men in that he did not know men could get breast cancer. In December of 2016, however, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Metastatic Breast Cancer. At the time of his diagnosis, his breast cancer had already metastasized into his liver, lungs, lymph nodes, bones, and brain." ~Patricia
"A friend from the cancer community once called me a unicorn. When I asked her why, she replied “people say that men can get breast cancer, but you never see them in real life.” That is why I advocate for more awareness and to try to encourage more men to step forward and embrace the support systems that are already in place. The women are here for you!" ~Adam
YES, THE WOMEN ARE HERE FOR YOU! I remember when one of our male breast cancer thrivers reached out to our community thinking I couldn't relate. I recall immediately the following dialogue:
Me: Did you have chemotherapy?
Him: Yes
Me: Me too! Did you you have radiation?
Him: Yes
Me: Me too! What type of breast cancer do you have?
Him: I was diagnosed stage IIB, ER/PR/HER2+
Me: Oh my gosh, me too!
Sometimes as women we associate a breast cancer diagnosis with losing our hair or/and mourning the loss of our breasts and a piece of our femininity. While that is part of it, we have more in common with our male counterparts than we realize. When we get into the conversation about treatment, surgery, side effects and the mental trauma we all go through, we get it!
We all get it!
In the News:
To date, there are no randomized controlled trials showing sugar causes cancer. There is, however, an indirect link between sugar and cancer. Eating a lot of high sugar foods such as cakes, cookies, and sweetened beverages can contribute to excess caloric intake. This may lead to weight gain and excess body fat. Research has shown that being overweight or obese increases the risk of 11 types of cancers including colorectal, postmenopausal breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer.
Dr. Borgen on Treatment Strategies for Male Breast Cancer
The biology of breast cancer in male vs female patients has some differences, one being that virtually all male breast cancers are ductal; almost no incidence of lobular disease has been reported in these patients, Borgen says. Additionally, male breast cancers tend to be estrogen receptor (ER)positive and often progesterone receptor positive. This offers the opportunity to utilize several treatment
Which medications are used in the treatment of male breast cancer?
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) guidelines recommend offering tamoxifen to men with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer who are candidates for adjuvant endocrine therapy. The initial treatment duration is 5 years; men who have completed 5 years of tamoxifen, have tolerated therapy, and still have a high risk of recurrence may be offered an additional 5 years of tamoxifen therapy.
There have been, and continues to be, numerous studies that attempt to link the consumption of sugar to breast and other cancer(s). These myriad studies have investigated whether sugar ingestion contributes to breast cancer or further stimulates its growth. So, the question of whether or not sugar contributes to or feeds breast cancer cells remains unresolved at this time. Read More.