Catching Breast Cancer

Since I've come out with my diagnosis of breast cancer to folks, I've received an incredible number of supportive comments and some interesting ones.

The most interesting? How did I get cancer.

My answer. "I don't know. My boobs never smoked."  I added later, "Maybe they hung out with bad company."

I did wonder though, was there something I did. Was it my heavy drinking (thank you Alcoholics Anonymous for helping with that)? Was it the fact that I'm considered obese (I prefer to say pleasantly plump)? Was it the fact that I've never had children?

Bingo. That's part of it.  I found great answers from a book called Breast Cancer: Real Questions, Real Answers by David Chan, MD from UCLA, who has been treating breast cancer for 40 years.  By the way, I would recommend this book to anyone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.  The book takes you through the process and all the questions in a plain, readable and incredibly helpful way.

Here's the scoop:

• The industrialized countries have the highest incidence of breast cancer in the world;
• Research has shown that this is due to the fact that young 'uns in these countries get higher calorie, higher nutrition diets so young girls enter puberty sooner;
• Also women in industrialized countries put off having children longer and tend not to breast feed their babies as much or for as long;
• This means that the breast tissue of women in these countries are more exposed to estrogen and progesterone, key growers of breast cancer;
• Obesity and drinking can be a factor (the fat in women's bodies produces more of those hormones), but compared to the where you live question, these factors are fairly minor;
• Finally, Dr. Chan says it ain't your fault. Just because you were born in an industrialized country automatically adds you to the group of more likely to develop breast cancer;
• Oh, and really finally, the United States has the most aggressive approach and research in breast cancer so has the lowest mortality rate for the disease in the world.

So here is my tip list:

• Don't add any extra hormones to your system if you can help it. The newer versions of the birth control pill are much better about this, but otherwise, keep that estrogen and progesterone toward your already natural levels if you can. I.E., when it comes to birthing babies, have 'em naturally without pumping extra hormones into your body or adopt (there is clear evidence that fertility hormones increase your odds of developing breast cancer). Breast cancer ain't worth it;
• When you do have babies, breast feed them and breast feed them for at least a year (studies show that when women do this, they cut their chances of breast cancer by 50%);
• And finally, go get those mammograms and report any damn bump you feel on the self exam.  Push about it.  It's your life.

And another note about me (as a friend would say, it's all about me).  My cancer is not fed by estrogen or progesterone (they test this stuff, really).  It is HER2+ and aggressive as all get out.  The good thing?  I can still eat soy, which mimics estrogen.  The bad thing? This shit is aggressive.  But in the end, we're back to it's not my fault.

Also published on CureToday