Breast Cancer
Breast cancer can begin in different areas of the breast- the ducts, the lobules, or in some cases, the tissue in between. Non-invasive cancers stay within the milk ducts or lobules in the breast, they don’t grow into or invade normal tissues within or beyond the breast. Non-invasive cancers are sometimes called carcinoma in situ or pre-cancers. Invasive cancers do grow into normal, healthy tissues- most breast cancers are invasive. If Breast cancer has spread beyond the breast to another part of the body, it is known as Metastatic Breast Cancer.
Factors that increase the risk of developing Breast Cancer include gene mutations, specifically of the genes BRCA1 and BRCA2; but other risk factors include exposure to radiation, early onset of menstruation, use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT), alcohol use, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and exposure to pesticides and other pollutants.
Breast cancer is further classified according to whether the cancer has hormone receptors on and in the cancer cells. Hormone receptors are like ears on and in breast cells that listen to signals from hormones. These hormone signals tell breast cells that have these receptors to grow. Cancer cells can be ER (Estrogen receptor) positive or negative and PR (Progesterone receptor) positive or negative.
Breast Cancer is further classified as either HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) positive or HER2 negative. The HER2 gene is responsible for making HER2 proteins which are proteins on breast cells. In about 25% of breast cancers, the HER2 gene can become abnormal and cause the breast cells to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way which can lead to the development of breast cancer.
The type of treatment recommended for Breast Cancer takes into account the location of the cancer, whether it is invasive or non-invasive, the cancer’s stage and grade, the hormone receptor status and age and general health. Treatment usually includes a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy (for ER-positive and/or PR-positive cancers) and targeted therapy (for HER2-positive cancers).
Research has indicated that omega-3 fish oils may increase sensitivity of breast tumours to several chemotherapy drugs with one study showing supplementing with DHA (Omega-3) substantially improved outcomes for metastatic breast cancer patients treated with an anthracycline-based chemotherapy (FEC) regimen1.
The ReMed Ancora team is comprised of naturopathy, clinical nutrition, oncology massage and acupuncture to provide you with an adjunctive plan that is informed by scientific research and is based on the individual situation of each woman. For women with breast cancer each supportive treatment plan is specifically designed around your situation and takes into account your individual experience, diagnosis and conventional treatment.
It is an adjunctive care model meaning we work alongside your conventional treatment. At ReMed, we only accept oncology patients in adjunctive care if they are seeing an oncologist and following their recommendations.
Our aims are to help you:
- Recover from surgery.
- Enhance the effectiveness of any chemotherapy or radiation therapy undertaken.
- Reduce short and long-term side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy
- Support your general health to ensure your conventional treatment plans can be continued.
- Introduce a maintenance program to reduce the risk of recurrence – diet, lifestyle and exercise play an important role in minimising your risks.
A free, no obligation private appointment with our Ancora team is offered to anyone wanting to find out more information about our adjunctive oncology services. This complimentary appointment can be booked online or by phoning our ReMed clinic on 03 9431 0331.
Reference
- Bougnox, P., Hajjaji, N., Ferrasson, M., Giraudeau, B., Couet, C. & Le Floch, O. (2009). Improving outcome of chemotherapy of metastatic breast cancer by docosahexaenoic acid: a phase II trial. British Journal of Cancer, 101(12), 1978-1985. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1038%2Fsj.bjc.6605441