The latest updates you need to know about breast cancer

Make sure you know this information if you are a female or know anyone who may be at risk of getting breast cancer.

This article summarizes the most pertinent natural developments in treating breast cancer that were presented at this year’s conference of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. These factors will save lives if implemented.

We will cover 5 key areas:
Weight
Vitamin D levels
Estrogen Ratio
Imaging for high-risk women
Circulating Tumor Cell (CTC) testing

Weight
BMI is designed to measure the amount of excessive weight one carries-roughly.

Obesity leads to worse outcomes in breast cancer:
A study from the Journal of Clinical Oncology compared BMI and response to chemotherapy. Normal weight patients were more likely to have tumor shrinkage after chemo than heavier patients. Obese patients also had a worse overall four year survival rate.

BMI is correlated with tumor size, positive lymph nodes, tumor stage and grade.
The higher the BMI the worse all of these measures are.

Exercise is a major player in outcomes with breast cancer
Pre- and Post- diagnosis physical activity i.e. the amount they exercised before diagnosed with breast cancer and the amount they exercised after being diagnosed, showed to be extremely important. Women who increased their physical activity had a 45% lower risk of death. Women who decreased physical activity after being diagnosed had a four-fold greater risk of death.

What to do about it? Get yourself motivated and start a program to lose the excess weight as well as create a habit of movement/exercise. This is not just about aesthetics, this is extremely important if you want to live and avoid the tortures of chronic disease.

Vitamin D
It is already known that low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased breast cancer risk. The latest research is now showing that low levels of vitamin D are also associated with poor prognosis (outcome). This means that low levels of vitamin D mean lower survival rates.

What to do about it? It is important to get serum vitamin D levels measured. Once the levels are assessed then high dose supplementation is imperative for all breast cancer patients. Measuring your levels is key because it will determine dosing and risk.

Estrogen ratio
The body has a balance of different forms of estrogen. It turns out that an increase in one form can lead to higher risks of breast cancer. The good news is that there are natural ways to clear or reduce this form of estrogen in the body.

Imaging for high-risk patients
MRI outperforms mammography in identifying breast cancer. In a test done between 2002 to 2007 mammography picked up 37% and MRI caught 85%. They propose using MRI as an annual screening for high-risk patients. The problem in Canada is that this is not possible the way the system is currently set up.

CTC
Circulating tumor cells are the tumor cells measured in the blood of patients with metastatic breast cancer. In localized breast cancer the CTC’s are very low but once tumor cells start circulating the levels increase rapidly. Several studies show that measuring CTC’s is an accurate way of assessing prognosis and treatment efficacy.

If you or someone you know is dealing with breast cancer please pass this information on to them. This information alone is not enough to treat or prevent breast cancer. Cancer is a complex condition that needs to be under the guidance of qualified health practitioners.