ER/PR positive Breast Cancer, heard before? It is worth reading and spreading the word about.

Breast Cancer is one of the rapidly growing and perhaps cancer with the highest incidences in the Indian subcontinent. It has emerged as a socio-economic issue beyond its atrocious physical attributes. Due to the late-stage presentation or late diagnosis in over 60%-70% of women, the treatment outcomes are often compromised. However, with the recent advances in the way breast cancers are treated worldwide, we are able to achieve reasonably good results in patients who come to us with the affected breasts, with or without the involvement of secondary organs.

Diagnosis of Hormone Positive Breast Cancer is in fact a matter of encouragement for us, the cancer specialists, and more prominently for women who are suffering from it. This encouragement is due to the predictability of the relatively better treatment outcomes & the availability of non-chemotherapy treatment options for this subtype of the disease. Hormone Positive Breast Cancer prevails to an extent of 70%-75% of the total breast cancers worldwide and India is no exception.

To understand what is hormone-positive breast cancer, we need to understand the biology of the female body. The female gender develops under the influence of female hormones called Estrogen and Progesterone. When cancer in the breasts develops or begins to grow under the influence of these hormones, it is called Hormone Positive Breast Cancer. Such cancers carry a significant number of Estrogen and Progesterone Receptors in the breast to develop an abnormality.

Hormone positivity is considered to be a low risk factor in breast cancer victims; therefore, oncologists can predict reasonably better treatment results in such patients. More importantly, after completion of a brief schedule of  hemotherapy depending on the stage of a cancer, patients can continue to take what is popularly called as hormonal therapy tablets. Hormone therapy can be termed as a primitive form of precision medicine which specifically targets hormone receptors to control the development, redevelopment or progression of cancer for a significantly longer time, unlike chemotherapy that is non-specific in nature. It is indeed magical to see how a small tablet of hormonal treatment can control a dreadful disease with minimal or negligible side effects.

Cancer Prevention

Numerous researches show that being overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for developing many cancers, including breast cancer, cancer of stomach & colon, endometrium cancer, oesophageal cancer, kidney cancer, thyroid cancer, cancer of gallbladder, pancreas and uterus as well as the blood cancers. In today’s lifestyle, healthy and unhealthy food habits play very crucial role in children and adults. There is a big difference between eating healthy and unhealthy food and the impact that it will have on our body when taken in excess.

Western and processed foods such as pizzas, burgers, cakes are full of chemicals & genetically modified (GMOs), which are highly refined and generally low in healthy micronutrients. Therefore the nutrients that they contain are less bioavailable. They also contain specific compounds like nitrates/nitrites, carrageenan and BHA / BHT (butylated hydroxy anisole / butylated hydroxytoluene). All these compounds are proven to have carcinogenic properties. The word carcinogenic signifies their potential of causing cancer. Hence it is absolutely important to make smart food choices and plan your daily exercise.

Consume a healthy diet and emphasize more on the food from plant sources.

• Choose foods and beverages in amounts that help achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
• Eat five or more servings of a variety of vegetables and fruits every day. Include different coloured fruits and vegetables in the diet.
• Choose whole grains over processed (refined) grains.
• Eat less processed and red meats like bacon, hot dog, sausages.
• Limit Sweets
• Stock your kitchen with quick and natural foods.
• Limit alcoholic beverages

Prepare to look good, feel good, and do good; for you and your family!

Hydration or drinking optimum quantity of water is a key to maintaining an optimum immunity. Staying well hydrated is also very important for working of detoxification pathways in the body.

Stay active 
Physical activity has numerous benefits to your health and we need little more than our daily chores. Physical activity keeps you healthy by,

• Reducing the inflammation
• Reducing Cholesterol levels
• Reduce sex hormones or insulin
• Strengthen the immune system
• Altering the metabolism of bile acids
• Decreasing exposure of the gastrointestinal tract to these suspected carcinogens

There is strong evidence that higher levels of physical activity are linked to lower risk of several types of cancers.

Tips to stay active

• Maintain a healthy weight throughout life.
• Practicing yoga can help reduce stress.
• Adults should engage in at least 30-45 minutes per day, per five days or more in a week
• Children and adolescents can engage in at least 60 minutes, per five days a week.
• Prepare workout plan.
• Start stretching for flexible body.
• Walk or workout with a partner that will increase your motivation.
• Enroll in a dance class or gym.
• Set your goals, give yourself positive reinforcement and reward yourself!

Lifestyle and Cancer Risk

• Some researches have shown an increased risk of brain cancer pertaining to excessive use of mobile phones So go classical! i.e. no phones on bed side! Using mobile devices away at the table has become the norm nowadays.
• Studies show that Acetaldehyde which is present in alcohol damages our DNA and increases risk of cancer of mouth,
  throat and voice box (larynx), oesophagus, colon and rectum, liver and breast (in women).
• Quitting smoking can lower our risk from 12 types of cancers.