Supporting Your Mental Health Amid Cancer
- Michigan mom of two Curpri Sanders, now cancer-free, credits her “losing isn’t an option” and wellness mindset for helping her battle stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer while pregnant with her second son.
- “Triple-negative” means the cancer is not fueled by any of the three main types of receptors: estrogen, progesterone, or the HER2 protein. Because of this, the cancer won’t respond to certain common therapies.
- It’s always a good idea to be familiar with your own breasts, so you can learn what’s normal for you, and how to spot any changes worth mentioning to your doctor. For this reason, SurvivorNet’s experts recommend that you do regular breast self-exams.
- Too often, breast cancer patients face mental health challenges that aren’t being fully addressed. SurvivorNet has added resources to help patients get the help they need.
- “Triple-negative” means the cancer is not fueled by any of the three main types of receptors: estrogen, progesterone, or the HER2 protein. Because of this, the cancer won’t respond to certain common therapies.
Speaking to People about her cancer journey, the Michigan resident revealed she first noticed a lump in her right breast when she four and a half months pregnant with her second son Easton— a discovery that ultimately led to her diagnosis.
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Recalling how she felt when she was told she had breast cancer, she said, “I saw my mother die from this. I’m a Black woman. Black women die from breast cancer at a disproportionate rate. I felt like the odds were against me.”
After experiencing negative thoughts for about a week she changed her mindset, telling herself, “Curpri, you have two lives at stake, yours and this baby’s. You’ve got to make a choice today, and we’re going to choose to live.
“And we’re not going to worry about the future, because we don’t know what the future holds. What we know is right now.”
Sanders’ Change of Mindset
To help remain positive she placed written reminders around her house and her car, saying “Losing isn’t an option” and “You’re a warrior.”
She further told People, “You have to make your environment positive and change your thought process.” Sanders recounted telling herself, “Your appearance might change, but you still get to have the happy pregnancy, because happiness is a choice.”
While undergoing chemotherapy, Sanders admitted she needed to think of her treatment as a “spa day.”
She explained, “But if I got to sit in a chair for three and a half hours, we’re going to lean back, take a nap, play music. I looked at it as, ‘This is my break. I’m going to get my nails done.'”
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Now cancer-free, Sanders said her son was born “perfect” in the fall of 2022. Despite not being able to use her own breast milk to nurse Easton, she was gifted breast milk from close friends.
Advising others in a similar situation, she explained to People, “Your support system matters and sometimes it can be the reason that you thrive or not thrive.”
Sanders underwent a double mastectomy [removal of both breasts] and reconstruction surgery simultaneously, just five months after giving birth to her second son.
In response to her story being shared by People, Sanders wrote on her Instagram, alongside a photo of the article, “Words can’t even begin to express my gratitude!! I would have never predicted the pain I went through would turn into my purpose!
“Thank you to @people for sharing my story! I only hope that sharing my testimony inspires and gives hope to other women battling breast cancer! Stay tuned as I have more to come! #LosingIsntAnOption.”
On August 8, 2024, Sanders took to Instagram to celebrate two years after her diagnosis.
She captioned the post, “2 years ago to the date my entire world was turned upside down and I saw no end. Having to fight for my life all while bringing new life into the world was a very daunting task! Nonetheless I prevailed.
“I’m so grateful to God for his grace. The scars that I have are proof of resilience, faith, and favor!”
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She concluded, “God not only favored me, but he favored Easton [her son] as well! In these moments I had no choice but to push through because at the end of the day… Losing wasn’t an option.”
Community Engagement & Resources are Key to ‘Closing the Gap’ on Racial Disparities in Cancer Care
Understanding Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease and makes up for approximately 20 percent of all breast cancers. The treatment approach varies from patient to patient and may include a combination of different treatments.
Early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatments may use a combination of chemotherapy drugs.
Expert Resources On Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Chemo for Triple Negative Breast Cancer
- ‘It’s A Game Changer’: FDA Approves Keytruda, Chemo Combo To Treat Aggressive Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Chemo Plus Immunotherapy for Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Treating Triple Negative Breast Cancer
- Metastatic Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Treatments To Consider
- New Study Identifies Genes Linked to Increased Risk for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
- Treating Early Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
For example, a CMF regimen is an abbreviation for combining chemotherapy drugs cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil. AC stands for doxorubicin (Adriamycin) with cyclophosphamide, and ACT just indicates that a taxane drug is added to the regimen. Likewise, TC is an abbreviation for a regimen of Taxotere and cyclophosphamide.
RELATED: In Triple Negative Breast Cancer, New Drug Trodelvy Extends Life
In 2021, the FDA approved the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab for the treatment of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is already used to treat other cancers, including melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Doctors heralded the FDA’s approval of pembrolizumab as a potentially paradigm-shifting advancement in breast cancer treatment.
Understanding Triple Negative Breast Cancer
For patients with stage 2 or 3 TNBC, adding the immune-boosting medication pembrolizumab to combination chemotherapy before surgery increases chances of living free of breast cancer, explains oncologist Dr. Sylvia Adams, director of the Breast Cancer Center at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.
She was one of several researchers involved with the pembrolizumab trials. “It changes the standard of care and should be discussed with all patients diagnosed with stage 2-3 TNBC,” she adds. “Yes, it’s a game-changer, though there is much more to be learned.”
Dr. Anita Johnson talks racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes and how to close the gap.
Until recently, researchers hadn’t had much success using the therapy to fight breast cancer. That’s changing now. The IMpassion130 trial showed for the first time that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy had a significant effect in treating metastatic triple negative breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancer is an extremely aggressive form of the disease, so this discovery is important.
Dr. Sylvia Adams explains, “The question now becomes, is it only triple negative breast cancer that can benefit from immunotherapy, or are there other subtypes as well?
“If a tumor has the PD-L1 protein in it, that means there’s already an inflammatory response, that the patient’s immune system already recognized the tumor and was starting to work against it. The benefit of identifying such a strong biomarker in the triple negative subset will allow us to actually test for the presence and responsiveness to immunotherapy in other subtypes of breast cancer.”
The First Immunotherapy Approved For Breast Cancer Hope For Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Is Your Cancer Really Triple-Negative?
Dr. Heather McArthur, Clinical Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Simmons Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has spoken with SurvivorNet on this relevant topic.
You might be told you have triple-negative breast cancer, that means that your cancer is not being fueled by any of the three main types of receptors: estrogen, progesterone nor the HER2 protein. But now you could be categorized as HER2 low instead of HER2 negative.
Breast cancer cells with higher-than-normal levels of HER2 are called HER2-positive, those with low levels of HER2 are (or were) called HER2 negative. Recently, however, researchers have looked to further expand this definition to include patients that have a minimal amount of HER2 expression but do not meet the classic definition for HER2-positive tumors. This group has been called HER2 “low” and is very important as it represents almost 50% of all patients with breast cancer.
This excitement stems from the fact that HER2-low breast cancers are targetable with a recently new FDA-approved Enhertu (Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki). It appears that Enhertu is extremely effective for appropriate patients and can greatly improve their quality of life and help them live longer.
Therefore, it is exceedingly important to discuss with your physician about your HER2 status.
Treatment for Early-Stage Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Understanding Mindfulness and How It Can Improve Mental Health
If you’re facing a difficult period in life maybe you’ve just been diagnosed with a serious illness, or are simply dealing with hopeless feelings mindfulness could be a great help.
Often emotions of fear, anxiety, and confusion arise during difficult times, along with many unanswered questions.
Mindfulness is often suggested for cancer patients to reduce high levels of anxiety and distress associated with diagnosis, treatment, and anticipation of possible disease recurrence. Both the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Society of Integrative Oncology (SIO) recommend meditation as part of a multidisciplinary approach to reduce stress, depression, and mood disturbance, and to improve the quality of life in cancer patients. That same approach can be beneficial during any hardship.
And the question remains: does it really work? We think it does.
5 tips for practicing mindfulness:
- Choose one daily activity to practice mindfully (e.g. eating your lunch, brushing your teeth or taking a shower). During this activity notice your breath and activity of your mind for a few moments.
- Take a pause throughout your day. During your day, find a moment to stop and take 5 deep breaths with your eyes closed.
- Kindly acknowledge a moment you’re experiencing a difficulty by putting your hand on your heart and saying, “I feel my pain. How can I be kind to myself in this moment?”
- Get curious about your emotions. Experiment with welcoming your emotions as they come, instead of pushing them away.
- Become aware when you’re in a rush. Ask yourself, “Do I really need to hurry?”
Questions for Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer and have questions about your treatment, side effects, or something else, SurvivorNet encourages you to prepare for your next appointment by using its proprietary AI tool “My Health Questions.”
This powerful resource can help answer lingering questions and formulate new ones to share with your care team.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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