Tackling Cancer as a Team
- An English couple, Darran and Tracey Gibbs, were diagnosed with cancer on the same day Darran with prostate and Tracey with breast cancer.
- Thankfully, with immediate treatment and a strong support system from each other, the two have been given the “all clear.”
- Although a cancer diagnosis is never going to be an easy thing to handle, there has been significant treatment progress for both breast and prostate cancer. And making sure you have a strong support system, like Darran and Tracey, can make all the difference in your cancer journey as well.
Darran found out in the morning of the 28th that he had prostate cancer. Mere hours later, Tracey was hit with the news of her breast cancer diagnosis. The English couple was, understandably, distraught by the news.
Read More“The double diagnosis gave us more strength," Darran added. And, luckily, the couple “had wonderful care.” Tracey had an urgent mastectomy and Darran had his prostate removed shortly after their diagnoses.
Flash forward to today, and the two have much to celebrate. Tracey was given the “all-clear” in January, and Darran was given the same in May.
“We got through by being together,” Tracey said. And with cancer hopefully in their rearview mirror, there’s no doubt this couple can handle any other obstacles that may come their way.
Understanding Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a common cancer that has touched all too many lives in one way or another. Men can also develop this disease, but it is less common, however, partly because they have less breast tissue.
One advantage to its overwhelming presence is that breast cancer has been the focus of much research. Despite the huge trauma of the disease, it's an amazingly hopeful and exciting field, says SurvivorNet Medical Advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Comen. It's not just about the stage of your breast cancer. Hormones, biology and genetics should all play a role in determining your treatment.
An Overview of Breast Cancer Treatment
"There are so many different ways that we can target and think about treating breast cancer patients, no matter what stage of disease that they've been diagnosed with."
PARP inhibitors, for example, are a relatively new form of targeted therapy that can stop cancer cells from spreading by preventing them from repairing their damaged DNA, causing them to die. The FDA approved them for the treatment of BRCA-mutation-related metastatic breast cancer in 2018. Those kinds of cancers are more likely to be triple negative breast cancer, which can be more aggressive. Data has shown that women who received PARP inhibitors did better overall than patients who received chemotherapy.
"This broadens our arsenal for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer beyond conventional chemotherapy," says Dr. Heather McArthur, medical director of breast oncology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Patients can be born with BRCA mutations or acquire them over time.
"BRCA is responsible for DNA repair. So for people who have a mutation in the BRCA region, they're not able to successfully repair DNA damage, which is necessary for cell survival," explains Dr. McArthur. "So PARP inhibitors also interfere with DNA repair. So in people who already have a DNA repair defect (such as BRCA), to further impair those redundant repair mechanisms has been a successful strategy in women with BRCA mutation carrier-related breast cancers."
PARP Inhibitors also have a future in early breast cancer treatment. A major new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine has found that olaparib (brand name: Lynparza) significantly extends life for women with early stage breast cancer classified as HER2 negative. Importantly, these women also have a genetic mutation known as BRCA.
Dr. Heather McArthur talks PARP inhibitors for metastatic breast cancer
Understanding Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. According to the American Cancer Society, about one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime. The disease begins in the walnut-shaped prostate gland located between the rectum and bladder. This gland produces the fluid that nourishes sperm.
Symptoms of the disease are inconsistent and hard to pinpoint. "Prostate cancer is a very odd disease in that it doesn't have a particular symptom," explains Dr. Edwin Posadas, director of translational oncology and the medical director of the Urologic Oncology Program at Cedars-Sinai. But changes in urinary function like urinating more or less often or waking up at night to go more than usual could be a sign of the disease. However, it's important to note that these potential symptoms could also could be caused by a urinary tract infection or even an enlargement of the prostate gland (which is not cancer).
There's No One Definitive Symptom for Prostate Cancer, But There Are Clues
Expert physicians that have spoken with SurvivorNet shared a hopeful outlook when considering a prostate cancer diagnosis, because there are many treatment options, and there's been significant treatment progress over the past decade. Surgical and radiation options, for example, have made improvements in reducing side effects of treatment while still providing excellent cure rates. Even for men with an advanced-stage diagnosis, many new options exist to treat prostate cancer and help them maintain an excellent quality of life.
A Strong Support System
The support Darran and Tracey gave to each other made all the difference during their cancer journeys. But your support system doesn't have to necessarily come from a partner or family member.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Heidi Kugler says telling friends and acquaintances about her experience with the disease during treatment, and beyond, made a huge difference.
Finding Your Support System: Heidi Kugler's Survivor Story
"I got this outpouring of love that was just amazing," the ovarian cancer survivor from Columbus, Ohio, said. "It got me through each and every day."
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