Preventing Cancer: Oophorectomy

Hi all, today's blog post will follow on from yesterdays and focus on the news that Angelina Jolie has had a preventative double mastectomy after discovering she has the BRCA1 gene mutation, giving her an 87% chance of developing breast cancer. The BRCA gene mutations also give you an increased risk of ovarian cancer and I have read today that Angelina is also going to have her ovaries removed to prevent her being diagnosed with this cancer type too. I hope you find this post informative.

To read about mastectomies please click: http://pennysophia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/preventing-cancer-mastectomy.html

To read about the BRCA gene mutations please click: http://pennysophia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gene-mutations-and-cancer.html

To read about ovarian cancer please click: http://pennysophia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/cancer-types-ovarian.html

To read about cancer and fertility please click: http://pennysophia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cancer-and-fertility.html

What is an Oophorectomy?

An oophorectomy is the surgical removal of your ovaries. Your ovaries are almond shaped organs which sit on either side of the uterus. They contain eggs and secrete hormones that control your reproductive cycle. Removal of your ovaries will reduce the amount of oestrogen and progesterone in your body and this can halt cancers that require these hormones to grow.

Ladies with the BRCA mutation may also have their fallopian tubes removed and this is known as a salpingo-oophorectomy.

Who Can Have a Preventative Oophorectomy?

This surgery is normally reserved for women with an increased risk of developing ovarian cancer, usually due to a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation. Women aged over thirty five that have already had their children and are found to be at high risk of developing ovarian cancer are usually offered this surgery but other woman also qualify, including those with a strong family history of ovarian cancer but do not carry the gene mutation.

How does it Reduce your Cancer Risk?

A preventative oophorectomy can decrease your risk of breast and ovarian cancer if you have a BRCA mutation:

*Your breast cancer risk is reduced by about 50% if you are pre menopausal. For example a woman with a 60% chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer would see her chances decrease to 30% with an oophorectomy.

*Your ovarian cancer risk would decrease by 80-90%. For example a woman with a 30% chance of developing ovarian cancer would see her chances decrease to 6%.

These figures do depend on individuals though as your risk can depend on many factors including lifestyle and family history. Some women may find that an oophorectomy reduces their risk significantly whilst others may find the surgery risks and side effects may not be worth the reduced risk of cancer.

Risks Involved:

An oophorectomy is a safe procedure with minimal complications, although the risks depend on how the procedure is performed. Potential risks could include damage to internal organs and intestinal blockage.

Oophorectomy causes early menopause in women that have not yet reached the menopause and this can cause:

*Osteoporosis – the amount of oestrogen being produced is reduced and this may increase your chance of breaking bones as they become thinner.

*Increased Risk of Heart Disease – Your risk of developing high cholesterol and heart disease may increase if you have your ovaries removed.

*Menopausal Side Effects – Hot flushes, vaginal dryness, sexual problems and sleep disturbance are all common side effects of menopause.

*You May Still Be At Risk – This surgery does not completely eradicate your risk of developing breast and/or ovarian cancer as a type of cancer that mimics ovarian cancer (primary peritoneal cancer) can develop. However the risk of developing this cancer type is low, much much lower then the risk of ovarian cancer if you keep your ovaries.

*Fertility – Removing your ovaries will obviously affect your fertility so if you have not started or completed your family yet it may be worth looking into options including egg/embryo freezing before going ahead with the surgery.

I hope you have found this post informative, please do visit your GP if you are worried about anything you have read here today. For more information please visit www.cancerrsearchuk.org

Sending lots of love to anyone known to carry a gene mutation and anyone that has undergone this procedure to try and prevent themselves being diagnosed with cancer.

xxx

Preventing Cancer: Mastectomy

You may have seen the news this morning that Angelina Jolie has taken the hugely brave step of having a double mastectomy after discovering she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene. Angelina is currently healthy but lost her mum to breast cancer at the age of fifty nine. Angelina then discovered that she has an 87% chance of developing breast cancer and decided to take this news head on and protect herself by removing both breasts, thus removing the threat.

I applaud Angelina’s bravery; I would do exactly the same in her position. It’s an incredible decision to make, but as Angelina points out, it’s also very empowering, taking the threat and stopping it in its tracks. Any woman taking this huge step is a hero in my book!

I thought today would be an ideal day to look into mastectomies and I hope you find this blog post interesting and useful.

If you would like more information on BRCA1 please click: http://pennysophia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/gene-mutations-and-cancer.html

If you would like more information on cancer of the breast please click: http://pennysophia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cancer-types-breast.html

What is a Mastectomy?

A mastectomy is the removal of a whole breast. There are five different types of mastectomy:

Simple or Total Mastectomy - This concentrates on the breast tissue itself. The surgeon removes the entire breast but does not usually remove the lymph nodes located in the armpit (although this can happen occasionally if the lymph nodes are found in the breast tissue during the surgery). No muscles are removed from underneath the breast during this type of mastectomy.

A SIMPLE OR TOTAL MESTECTOMY IS USUALLY APPROPRIATE FOR WOMEN WITH LARGE AREAD OF DCIS OR MULTIPLE DCIS. IT IS USUALLY APPROPRIATE FOR WOMEN SEEKING PREVENTATIVE MASTECTOMIES.

Modified Radical Mastectomy – This involves removal of both the breast tissue and lymph nodes. The entire breast is removed by the surgeon and an axillary lymph node dissection is performed to remove level I and II of the lymph nodes in your armpit. No muscles from underneath the breast are removed.

PEOPLE WITH INVASIVE BREAST CANCER MAY HAVE A MODIFIED RADICAL MASTECTOMY SO THAT THEIR LYMPH NODES CAN BE EXAMINED AS THIS WILL ALLOW THE SPECIALIST TO DETERMINE IF THE CANCER HAS SPREAD BEYOND THE BREAST.

Radical Mastectomy – This is the most extensive type of mastectomy and involves removing the entire breast, level I, II and III of the armpit lymph nodes and the chest wall muscles found under the breast.

RADICAL MASECTOMIES ARE ONLY RECOMMENDED FOR PEOPLE WHOSE BREAST CANCER HAS SPREAD TO THE MUSCLES UNDER THE BREAST. THIS USED TO BE A VERY COMMON TYPE OF MASTECOMY BUT THE MODIFIED VERSION HAS PROVED TO BE JUST AS EFFECTIVE BUT FAR LESS DISFIGURING.

Partial Mastectomy – This involves removing the cancerous part of the breast tissue and normal margins of healthy tissue around it. This is kind of like a lumpectomy, although more tissue is removed.

Subcutaneous Mastectomy (Nipple Sparing) – This is seen as a controversial option by some specialists as  all of the breast tissue is removed but the nipple is not touched and as some tissue could be left behind and develop into cancer. It can cause distortion or numbness in the nipple.

Reasons to Have a Mastectomy:

A mastectomy is a huge surgical procedure with lifelong repercussions so it isn’t for everyone. It could be the best way forward for you if you fit any of the following criteria:

*If your tumour is over 5cm

*If your breast is small and a lumpectomy would leave very little scar tissue

*If you have already undergone multiple lumpectomies to try and remove a tumour and have been unable to obtain clear margins.

*If a lumpectomy and radiation is not an option for you

*If you believe total removal of breast tissue would give you better peace of mind then a lumpectomy

Breast Reconstruction Surgery:

It may be possible for you to have your breasts reconstructed during the same surgical procedure as the mastectomy. This is known as immediate reconstruction. An advantage of this may be sparing yourself the trauma of having an empty space where your breast used to be. However, the decision to reconstruct your breast on top of having a mastectomy may be too much emotionally and physically so you may also wait months or years to have your reconstructive surgery.

There are many different techniques available for breast reconstruction, including inserting an implant or tissue from another body part.

You Are Not Alone:

Lots of women have been through this procedure, some for preventative reasons and others because they have had breast cancer. In recent years celebrities such as Sharon Osbourne, Michelle Heaton, Giuliana Rancic and Christina Applegate have all had mastectomies. It doesn’t make you any less of a woman; in fact it makes you a warrior and enables you to beat cancer at its own game.

Sending lots of love to any women considering a mastectomy, recovering from a mastectomy or living life to the full after a mastectomy, you are braver then you know!

For more information please visit www.cancerresearchuk.org

xxx

Cancer Types: Bladder

Hi everyone.

Today I wanted to focus on a cancer type and it’s the turn of the bladder.

The Bladder:

The bladder is a stretchy bag of muscle that stores urine. Urine is made in the kidneys and passed through the urethra into the bladder. The bladder can store up to 500ml of urine (about three cups) and It is made up of several layers.

Cancer of the Bladder:

Bladder cancer is more common in men then in women and it usually takes a long time to develop so it is more common in older people. Cancer of the bladder is very rarely diagnosed in people under the age of forty.

Main Risk Factors:

There are two main risk factors for bladder cancer:

SMOKING – Smokers are six times more likely to develop cancer of the bladder then non smokers as chemicals in cigarette smoke gets into the bloodstream and end up in urine which ends up in the bladder.

CHEMICALS AT WORK – some chemicals in certain industries can also cause bladder cancer but many of these have been banned within the last twenty years, although you may be at risk if you were exposed to them in the past.

OTHER RISK FACTORS: Parasitic bladder infections, for example bilharzia, can also increase the risk of bladder cancer. These are usually seen in developing countries but are not a major cause of bladder cancer in the UK.

Screening  and Symptoms:

There currently aren’t any screening tests for bladder cancer but there are some symptoms, which should be checked out by a GP as soon as possible should you suffer from any of them:

*The most common symptom is blood in the urine (haematuria). This is usually not painful and may not always be present in your urine but should always be checked out.

*Needing to pass urine very often

*Needing to pass urine very suddenly

*Pain when passing urine

Diagnosing Bladder Cancer:

A urine test is usually the starting point for diagnosing bladder cancer, although your GP may also wish to do an internal examination which may include placing a gloved finger in your rectum or vagina.

You may also require a cystoscopy which is a thin tube with a light being placed inside your bladder. This tube contains fibre optic cables which allow the specialist to see inside your bladder. You may have local anaesthetic to ease the discomfort. If anything abnormal is detected then you may need a further test under general anaesthetic to allow them to collect tissue samples and snip any small growths. You may also require a CT scan.

Treating Bladder Cancer:

Should you be diagnosed with early bladder cancer then it may be possible for the specialist to remove the cancer via a cystoscopy under general anaesthetic. You may also need chemotherapy to try and prevent the cancer returning. Surgery to remove parts of the bladder may be necessary or chemotherapy and radiotherapy may be used. This will all depend on the type of bladder cancer as well as it’s grading and staging.

I hope this blog post has been informative for you, please visit your GP if you are concerned about anything you have read today and please visit www.cancerresearchuk.org should you like to know more.

xxx