Thriving With Metastatic Cancer
- Aussie actress and singer Olivia Newton-John is thriving with stage four breast cancer! She’s recently been celebrating the release of her Physical: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition vinyl.
- Metastatic, or stage four, breast cancer is technically not curable, but with ongoing advancements in treatments and options to dramatically reduce symptoms, there are many reasons to be hopeful.
- It's important to try to keep your head up by focusing on things that make you happy while living with cancer. Studies have shown that cancer patients who take care of their emotional health may have better health outcomes.
The 73-year-old Grease star has been facing stage four breast cancer for quite some time now, but that hasn’t slowed her down. As of late, she’s been celebrating the release of her Physical: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition vinyl.
Read More“Thank you all who have submitted to the #Physical40 #Sleeveface contest so far!” she wrote in her caption. “I LOVE seeing all your entries, they’re so creative 💖 Enter before 11:59 PM PT on Friday 6/25 for a chance to win the @urbanoutfitters blue marbled variant.”View this post on Instagram
Needless to say, Newton-John seems to be having as much fun as ever with her huge collection of devoted fans. But that doesn’t mean she hasn’t had many lows over the years.
Olivia Newton-John's Breast Cancer Journey
Olivia Newton-John is living with stage four, or metastatic breast cancer. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and underwent chemotherapy and a partial mastectomy the surgical removal of cancerous breast tissue for treatment.
Unfortunately, the cancer returned in 2017 and spread to other parts of her body including her sacrum the bone at the bottom of the spine.
Olivia Newton John Shares Her Cancer Journey with SurvivorNet
Cancer metastasis can lead to the weakening and breaking of bones. This happened to be the case for Newton-John whose sacrum broke as a result of her spreading cancer. She then underwent radiation therapy but eventually turned to medical cannabis to help relieve the pain of her broken sacrum.
Understanding How Medical Marijuana Alleviates Pain
"I weaned myself off [prescription pain med] with cannabis, which I think is incredible," Newton-John previously told SurvivorNet. "People should know that, because you're not going to die from cannabis… That was really powerful for me to find out as well. I've continued on a regimen with cannabis ever since."
Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer
Olivia Newton-John has proven that an advanced cancer diagnosis does not require that you stop living. Metastatic breast cancer also called "stage four" breast cancer means that the cancer has spread, or metastasized, beyond the breasts to other parts of the body. It most commonly spreads to the bones, liver and lungs, but it may also spread to the brain or other organs.
When Breast Cancer Spreads to the Bones
And while there is technically no cure for metastatic breast cancer, there is a wide variety of treatment options used to battle the disease including hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapy and a combination of various treatments.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Elizabeth Comen, an oncologist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, explained how she tries to manage breast cancer when it has progressed to a later stage.
"With advanced disease, the goal of treatment is to keep you as stable as possible, slow the tumor growth and improve your quality of life," she said.
The American Cancer Society reports that there were more than 3.8 million U.S. women with a history of breast cancer alive at the start of 2019. Some of the women were cancer-free, and others still had evidence of the disease, but they also reported that more than 150,000 breast cancer survivors were living with metastatic disease, three-fourths of whom were originally diagnosed with stage I-III.
And with ongoing advancements in treatments and options out there today that can dramatically reduce symptoms, there are many reasons to be hopeful.
Keeping Busy during a Cancer Journey
During your cancer journey, it's important to try to find happiness as often as you can. Taking care of your emotional health as well as your physical health when living with cancer may actually improve your health outcomes.
To better understand the role of emotional health and social support after a cancer diagnosis, we spoke to Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology.
"We know from good studies that emotional health is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better outcomes," Chase told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. "So working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment [and] your emotional well-being are important and can impact your survival."
Whether that means continuing to promote your music, like Olivia Newton-John, doing yoga or painting a picture, there's no right or wrong answer.
Dr. Chase says trying to do more of whatever activities bring you joy is a great place to start. She recommends writing down ten things that make you happy and intentionally making the time to do those activities throughout the day.
"Sometimes I will talk to a patient about making [a] list of the top ten things that bring them joy," Dr. Chase said. "And trying to do those ten things…to make at least 50 percent of their experiences positive throughout the day."
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